Apple and the American Academy of Pediatrics published their family guide on 29 September 2026. Announcement.
The guide adapts the AAP Family Media Plan to Apple features. Its conversation chapter encourages two-way discussion, screen-free routines, and adjustments as children grow. The new family experience requires OS version 27 or later across family devices. Guide overview, conversation chapter.
That creates a useful starting point for a household meeting: talk about the day before talking about the timer.
Ask what the screen is doing
Choose a calm moment when nobody is halfway through a game or rushing to leave. Invite everyone to name one thing their device helped them do this week, and one moment when it got in the way.
A child might mention a conversation with a friend, a drawing, or a game. An adult might mention work messages arriving during dinner. Give both answers room. The aim is to understand the household's routines, rather than find the person with the largest number.
Then choose one shared experiment. It could be phones away for dinner, a clear stopping point before bed, or a place to leave devices while everybody gets ready in the morning.
Make the agreement easy to revisit
Write down what you are trying, why it matters, and when you will discuss it again. Keep the first version short. An agreement that nobody can remember is difficult to practise.
Ask what would make the experiment awkward. Does homework need a device? Is there a family member somebody needs to contact? What should happen if a planned exception comes up?
Include the adults' part of the agreement. If the conversation is about attention at the table, the child should not be the only person asked to put a phone away.
