5 Things to Do Before the First Day of School
The new backpack is packed. The school supplies are labeled. But before your child walks out that door, there's one more checklist worth running through — the one for their phone, their apps and their life online.
Back-to-school season is the perfect reset. Kids are about to spend more time in structured environments, juggling homework, activities and social lives, with much of it mediated by technology. A few intentional steps now can make the whole year smoother.
- Review (and Reset) Screen Time Limits
Summer hours are their own animal. Most kids have spent the past few months with more device freedom than the school year should allow. Resetting expectations before the daily school routine kicks in will help both you and them adjust.
Take a few minutes to revisit screen time settings on your child's device. Set school-night limits, block off homework hours, and make sure devices aren't accessible after bedtime. If your child's phone plan includes parental controls, now's the time to make sure they're configured for the school year schedule, not the summer one.
It's also worth checking your school's device policy before the first day. Many schools now restrict or ban phones during the school day. Knowing that ahead of time will help you set consistent expectations at home. When your rules align with the school's rules, there's a lot less room for negotiation. - Do an App Audit Together
Sit down with your child and scroll through their apps. You might be surprised what has accumulated over the summer.
Have a conversation about what they're using, what apps their friends are on, and whether anything feels uncomfortable or overwhelming. Kids are more likely to open up when the conversation starts with curiosity rather than suspicion. If something needs to go, explain why — and make sure content filtering is in place at the network level so new downloads stay age-appropriate without requiring constant monitoring.
The audit is also a good moment to set up tools that will actually help them this year. Apps like Quizlet for studying, Khan Academy for extra practice, or a solid note-taking app can make a real difference in how your child engages with schoolwork. Introducing these tools before the year gets hectic increases the chance they'll actually use them. - Set Up Location Sharing
Whether your child is walking to school, riding the bus, or heading to after-school activities, knowing their whereabouts will give you peace of mind. If you haven't already set up location sharing, back-to-school is a natural time to do it.
It’s important that kids understand it as a practical tool and not a leash, and the conversation goes better when it's less about rules and more about safety and staying connected. Location sharing can become a natural part of family life when it's introduced early and matter-of-factly. - Talk About Online Safety Before Problems Happen
It's easy to have the online safety conversation after something goes wrong. But it's much better to have it before.
Set aside time before school starts to talk through a few basics: what to do if someone online makes them uncomfortable, what cyberbullying looks like (and what to do about it), and the simple rule that anything posted online can be permanent. You don't need to cover everything at once — a short, low-pressure conversation is more effective than a lecture. The goal is to make sure your child knows they can come to you when something feels off. - Create a Family Technology Agreement
A family technology agreement — like this online safety pledge we created — puts everyone on the same page about expectations before school starts, rather than negotiating them mid-semester.
Cover the basics: when and where devices are allowed, what apps and platforms are okay, what happens if rules are broken, and how those rules will evolve as your child gets older. Writing it down (and having everyone sign it) turns it from a parent's wish list into a shared commitment.
The school year has a way of moving fast. By getting ahead of these five things now, before the homework piles up and the routines solidify, means one less thing to untangle later.
Visit C Spire's Connect & Protect Parents' Resource Center for more resources on keeping kids connected safely, and learn more about our safe phone plans for kids here.