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How to create family digital safety agreements

A guide to discussing contacts, privacy, a first phone, and independent outings, with agreements you can review together.

By AlkateiaUpdated September 20, 20263 min read

In this guide
  1. How do you talk to children about internet safety? Start with what they do and enjoy online. Ask them to show you how messages, invitations, and content suggestions arrive. Then discuss specific situations: a stranger asks for personal information, a classmate shares an insult, or someone demands secrecy. The federal guide recommends dialogue and considering everyone's views. (Federal Government of Brazil)
  2. How do you teach boundaries without making every contact seem threatening? Explain behaviors that deserve attention, such as pressure, blackmail, and invasion of privacy. There is no need to frighten children with violent descriptions. A useful rule is to ask a trusted adult when they do not know what to do, even if they have already replied. This also applies to requests from someone they know.
  3. My child has started going out alone: how can we improve safety? Know the route, times, and alternatives when plans change. Agree on departure and arrival messages and who to contact if the battery or internet runs out. Independence should reflect age, context, and development; an app alone cannot determine whether a child is ready for a route.
  4. How can parents stay in touch with teenagers without invading their privacy? Define the purpose of location sharing and a proportionate duration. Do not demand an immediate response during every activity or treat a technical delay as proof of lying. Brazil's ECA Digital recognizes growing autonomy and parents' and guardians' duty of care. Agreements can change as skills develop and routines evolve. (Planalto)
  5. Which rules are worth writing down? Choose a few rules you can follow: who can join the group, what will not be published, when to use location, how to distinguish urgency from a routine message, and whom to ask for help. Apply privacy rules to adults too, including when posting children's photos. Review agreements that require constant availability or leave no clear way to ask for an exception. (CERT.br)
  6. How can you use Alkateia in these agreements? The family can use text and voice messages for updates, 15-minute location sharing for an agreed journey, and SOS to request help. The parent, guardian, or administrator approves new members. Decide in advance when to use each feature and understand connection and battery limitations. Read how to create an emergency plan and how to share location transparently.

Digital agreements are clear arrangements about how the family uses technology, shares information, and asks for help. They work best when everyone can understand, practice, and review them. A list of prohibitions without reasons often leaves questions precisely when new situations arise.

How do you talk to children about internet safety? Start with what they do and enjoy online. Ask them to show you how messages, invitations, and content suggestions arrive. Then discuss specific situations: a stranger asks for personal information, a classmate shares an insult, or someone demands secrecy. The federal guide recommends dialogue and considering everyone's views. (Federal Government of Brazil)

How do you teach boundaries without making every contact seem threatening? Explain behaviors that deserve attention, such as pressure, blackmail, and invasion of privacy. There is no need to frighten children with violent descriptions. A useful rule is to ask a trusted adult when they do not know what to do, even if they have already replied. This also applies to requests from someone they know.

My child has started going out alone: how can we improve safety? Know the route, times, and alternatives when plans change. Agree on departure and arrival messages and who to contact if the battery or internet runs out. Independence should reflect age, context, and development; an app alone cannot determine whether a child is ready for a route.

BeforeAgree on the route, contact, and time.
DuringReport a change of plans when it is safe.
AfterConfirm arrival and review the agreement.

How can parents stay in touch with teenagers without invading their privacy? Define the purpose of location sharing and a proportionate duration. Do not demand an immediate response during every activity or treat a technical delay as proof of lying. Brazil's ECA Digital recognizes growing autonomy and parents' and guardians' duty of care. Agreements can change as skills develop and routines evolve. (Planalto)

Which rules are worth writing down? Choose a few rules you can follow: who can join the group, what will not be published, when to use location, how to distinguish urgency from a routine message, and whom to ask for help. Apply privacy rules to adults too, including when posting children's photos. Review agreements that require constant availability or leave no clear way to ask for an exception. (CERT.br)

How can you use Alkateia in these agreements? The family can use text and voice messages for updates, 15-minute location sharing for an agreed journey, and SOS to request help. The parent, guardian, or administrator approves new members. Decide in advance when to use each feature and understand connection and battery limitations. Read how to create an emergency plan and how to share location transparently.

Sources and references

  1. Federal Government of Brazil — Screen Use Guide: Recommendations for Families, Tutors, and Guardians
  2. Planalto — Law No. 15,211/2025, Digital Statute for Children and Adolescents
  3. CERT.br — Privacy Booklet

Sources accessed September 20, 2026. Informational content produced by Alkateia; information about the app describes its own features.