Phone rules for a 13-year-old
Phone rules many families use at 13: messaging, a possible browser or YouTube step, still-off social apps, and a review before each new platform.
Thirteen often means more people, not every app
At 13, school and friend groups usually expand. That can justify a slightly broader messaging setup without unlocking every social platform. FirstPhone’s Connected and Explorer levels are built for this middle ground: more ways to talk with people you know, with social apps still treated as separate decisions.
Name the next privilege in advance
If YouTube, a browser, or one social app is likely later, say so in the agreement and attach it to a review date. Surprise unlocks and surprise clampdowns both feel arbitrary. A written “we will talk about this on this date” keeps the hope and the limit in the same place.
Privacy rules that still fit
Location sharing with family, passcodes parents can use in an emergency, and no posting of home addresses or school names still make sense at 13. So does more privacy from classmates. The agreement can hold both: parents stay reachable; the child’s photos are not family entertainment without asking.
Spending and downloads
Ask to Buy can stay on. In-app purchases are easy to tap by accident. If an allowance for music or a game is part of your household, write the amount and the approval path. FirstPhone’s rules can include purchases so the conversation does not wait for the first unexpected charge.
Keep the help door open
Thirteen is a common time for group-chat pile-ons and for content that appears without anyone searching for it. Repeat that coming to you does not automatically mean losing the phone. FirstPhone’s help library is there for those moments; the agreement should say the same thing in your words.