DoneUp
Set your family agreement before the reward
Start with a conversation about when recreational screen time fits into your day. Decide which activities count, where devices are used and when a session needs to finish. Keep schoolwork and any other essential device use clear in that agreement.
Choose your family's limits before deciding how minutes can be earned. Earning a reward does not have to mean it can be used immediately or without a limit. Make those conditions visible from the beginning so the reward feels predictable.
Say exactly what the reward includes
“More screen time” leaves a lot open to interpretation. A more specific reward could be a named amount of gaming time at a time you both agree on. Decide whether it applies to one device or activity, and how you will handle interruptions.
The example below is only a way to write the agreement. The minutes are illustrative, not a recommendation for how much screen time a child should have.
| Question to settle | Illustrative agreement |
|---|---|
| What is the reward? | 20 minutes of an agreed game. |
| When can it be used? | At a time a grown-up confirms, within the family's usual limits. |
| When does the timer begin? | When the game is ready and play starts. |
| What if the family interrupts? | Agree how to account for the unused minutes. |
| What happens at the end? | Save progress where possible, then finish the session. |
Separate earning from using the reward
A child can finish a chore now and use the reward later. Explain the steps: complete the task, ask a grown-up to check, reach the agreed goal, then request the reward. This leaves room for family plans without changing what the child has earned.
In DoneUp, kids can choose an enabled reward as their goal and see their progress as chores are approved. When they have enough, they request it. A grown-up can approve the request or say not yet.
Leave room for other rewards
Screen time can be one choice among several. Your child might prefer saving for a movie trip, a gift card or cash. Offer the options you are comfortable providing, then let them choose a goal that interests them.
Keeping a few choices also gives you somewhere to turn when a screen-time reward does not fit a particular day. See the different rewards families can use.
Review the agreement after trying it
After the first session, ask what was easy to understand and what caused confusion. Was the start clear? Did an interruption need a better plan? Could your child finish and save their game comfortably?
Adjust the next agreement together. To begin, choose one clearly described reward and write down when the timer starts and what happens when it ends.
