For separated & co-parenting families
Kids figure out fast which house has looser rules. Two Houses, One Rule is a single, editable agreement both parents sign — so screen time stops being the thing you fight about at handoff.
Instant PDF download. Editable in any PDF reader. No app, no login.
Why screen time is different when you're co-parenting
Most screen-time advice assumes one household making one decision. Co-parents are running two sets of rules, two routines, and a kid who knows exactly which parent to ask.
"Dad lets me play until midnight, why can't I here?"
Every Sunday handoff
"We can't even agree on what 'screen time' means, let alone a limit."
Co-parent, first conversation
"I don't want another fight. I just want us both saying the same thing."
What most parents actually want
What's inside
Built to be filled out together — in person, over a call, or passed back and forth — and printed for both homes.
Editable PDF covering daily limits, device curfews, and shared "non-negotiables" both households commit to.
Suggested limits for ages 6–9, 10–13, and 14–17, so you're not negotiating from a blank page.
Exact wording for raising this with a co-parent you don't always agree with — without it turning into a fight.
A simple weekly sheet both homes fill in, so slipping rules get caught early — not after months of drift.
How it works
Open the PDF, fill in your family's details and limits, either alone as a starting draft or together.
Print two copies. Each parent keeps one taped up where the kids can see it — no ambiguity, no "that's not what we agreed."
Not two versions filtered through whichever parent they ask first.
Questions
No — it's a coordination tool, not a legal document, and it doesn't replace or modify your custody agreement or parenting plan. It works because both parents choose to follow it, not because a court enforces it.
The age-banded starting points give you a reasonable default to negotiate from instead of starting at zero, and the handoff script is specifically written for the conversation where you don't fully agree yet.
No. The agreement sets the rule in plain language (times, curfews, non-negotiables) — it doesn't depend on both houses using the same phone, tablet, or parental control software.
Yes. It's a fillable, editable PDF — open it in any standard PDF reader, fill it in, and print or re-save it.
Start with the free one-page starter version below — it's short enough to text or email over without it feeling like a formal contract, and often that's the easier way in.
If you want the rules enforced automatically
A signed agreement sets the rule. These apps help both parents actually see whether it's being followed, on either device, in either house.
Screen limits, content filtering, and activity reports that either parent can check from their own phone — useful when you're not in the same house to enforce the rule yourself.
See Qustodio →Monitors texts and social apps for concerning content and alerts both parents, so safety conversations aren't happening in only one household.
See Bark →Free option for Android families who want basic shared screen-time limits without a subscription, while you get the agreement in place.
See Family Link →Some links above are affiliate links — if you sign up through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We only link tools we'd actually recommend to a co-parent.
Start with the free version
A shorter version of the full agreement — enough to open the conversation with your co-parent this week. See all 3 free guides →