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SafeScroll 📋 Free Checklist · Days 1–4

7-Day Family Digital Reset

A week-by-week action plan to reset your household's screen habits. Small steps, done together, with lasting results.

⏱ 15 mins per day 👨‍👩‍👧 Whole family 🔄 Repeat monthly
☑️
Parent action Something for you to do or reflect on
👨‍👩‍👧
Family action Do this together with your children
💭
Evening reflection One question to sit with before bed
1
Day One · Start Here
The Honest Audit — Map where screens actually live
🗺️
☑ Parent action
List every device in the household (phones, tablets, TVs, consoles, laptops)
Note where each is used — bedroom? sofa? dinner table?
Estimate your own daily screen time honestly — no judgement
👨‍👩‍👧 Family action
Ask each child: "What's your favourite thing you did on a screen this week?"
Ask: "What's one thing you wish you did instead of screens?"
Write answers down — refer back at end of week
Tonight:  "What surprised me most about how we use screens in this house?"
2
Day Two · Environment
Create your first two screen-free zones
🚫
☑ Parent action
Designate the dining table as a permanent screen-free zone — no exceptions
Remove all charging cables from bedrooms — set up a family charging station in a common area
Remove your own phone from the dinner table tonight
👨‍👩‍👧 Family action
Have the first screen-free dinner — make it fun, not punitive
Use a conversation prompt: "Best thing that happened today?"
Let children help set up the charging station — give them ownership
Tonight:  "How did dinner feel without phones on the table?"
3
Day Three · Sleep
Set the family digital curfew — screens off before bed
🌙
☑ Parent action
Set a household screen curfew: 8pm for under-12s, 9:30pm for teens (no blue light 1hr before bed)
Add reminders to your phone or smart speaker
Enable iOS Screen Time or Android Digital Wellbeing downtime — applies to your phone too
👨‍👩‍👧 Family action
Agree on the curfew time together — children who help set rules are more likely to follow them
Introduce a wind-down activity: reading, puzzle, bath, or calm conversation
Put all devices in the family charging station at curfew — including yours
Tonight:  "Did I sleep differently without my phone next to the bed?"
4
Day Four · Replace
Swap one screen session for something offline
🎯
☑ Parent action
Identify the screen session most likely to cause conflict — and plan an alternative for it today
Have the alternative ready before the usual screen time starts (sport, craft, outing, board game)
Don't frame it as a punishment — frame it as a family experiment
👨‍👩‍👧 Family action
Do one offline activity together (under 12s: Lego, baking, den building; teens: walk, cook a meal, card game)
Rate the activity 1–10 afterwards — no wrong answers
Write the activity on a "screen swaps" list to keep on the fridge
Tonight:  "What happened to the mood in the house after the offline activity?"
SafeScroll 📋 Free Checklist · Days 5–7 + Review

7-Day Family Digital Reset — Days 5, 6 & 7

You're more than halfway. The hard part is done — the habits are starting to form.

5
Day Five · Connection
The open conversation — what are they actually seeing online?
💬
☑ Parent action
Before the conversation: commit to listening more than reacting
Ask one genuine question about what your child enjoys online — no agenda, just curiosity
Share something you've watched or read online this week — model openness
👨‍👩‍👧 Family action
Each person shares: one thing they love about being online + one thing they don't
Ask: "Has anything online ever made you feel bad?" — no interrogation, just an open door
End with: "You can always come to me — no drama, no phone confiscation, I promise"
Tonight:  "What did I learn about my child's online life that I didn't know before?"
6
Day Six · Safety
The parental controls audit — 30 minutes, every device
🔒
☑ Parent action
iPhone: Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions → enable and review
Android: Settings → Digital Wellbeing → Parental Controls (or Google Family Link)
Gaming consoles: Enable Family Management on PlayStation / Xbox / Nintendo Switch
YouTube: Switch to YouTube Kids or enable Restricted Mode for under-16s
👨‍👩‍👧 Family action
Do this with your child if they're 9+ — explain why, not just what
Frame it as "we're setting this up together" not "I'm locking down your device"
Agree what they can unlock as they get older — give them something to work towards
Tonight:  "Were there settings I didn't know about that I'm glad I've now put in place?"
7
Day Seven · Agreement
Write your family's three digital rules — together
✍️
☑ Parent action
Prepare three draft rules based on what you've learnt this week
Make the rules positive ("screens off at 9pm") not punitive ("no phones or else")
Include a rule that applies to you as well — fairness makes rules stick
👨‍👩‍👧 Family action
Negotiate the three rules as a family — children can suggest changes
Write the final rules on paper and everyone signs it — display it at home
Set a date to review in 4 weeks — mark it in the family calendar
Tonight:  "What's the one change from this week that I want to keep permanently?"
📊

Sunday Review — End of Week Reflection

🎉 We completed the 7-Day Family Digital Reset

This family committed to resetting our digital habits together. We did it.

PARENT / CARER
PARENT / CARER
CHILD / CHILDREN
Date completed: ___________________________
Continue with our Family Guide →

Ready to go deeper than 7 days?

Our full guides give you the age-specific scripts, habit frameworks, and boundary tools to build on what you've started here — for toddlers right through to teenagers.

Browse all guides →

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