How to Lock Your Kid's Apps Until Chores and Homework Are Done

"Homework first, then screens." It's the most popular house rule in the world, and possibly the most broken. It works brilliantly on Monday. By Wednesday it's "I'll do it after this episode". By Friday you're negotiating with a nine-year-old who has somehow become a lawyer.

The rule isn't the problem. Enforcing it by hand is. Every evening you have to remember, check, remind, check again, and be the bad guy. The fix is to let the phone or tablet enforce the rule for you: apps stay locked until the chores are done.

This guide covers three ways to do that:

1. Apple Screen Time (free, iPhone and iPad), with a workaround

2. Google Family Link (free, Android), with the same workaround

3. An earn-screen-time app like ScreenTreat, which does it automatically

We make ScreenTreat (hello from Treatsy, our fluffy red monster), so we'll be upfront about where the free options work fine and where they run out of steam.

Screens vs chores, by the numbers

If your house feels like a daily tug-of-war between the iPad and the dishwasher, you're in very large company:

• 6 hours a day. That's how much entertainment screen media tweens aged 8–12 use on average, outside school and homework (Common Sense Media). Only about a third (34%) stay at two hours or less.

• 1 in 3 parents of 11- to 12-year-olds say their child spends too much time on a smartphone (Pew Research Center via FOX, Oct 2025).

• 55% of families argue about screen time frequently or occasionally, and 46% of parents say agreed time limits are hard to enforce (Axa / Sotomo survey of 1,706 people in Switzerland, 2025, via blue News).

• 70% of US parents say their kids regularly do chores, down from 79% in 1997 (YouGov for Whirlpool, 1,065 parents, 2020, PDF).

• ~10,000 kids were tracked from kindergarten to third grade in one study: those who did more chores at the start went on to have stronger academic skills, better peer relationships and higher life satisfaction (Cornell summary of the research).

• Another study of 200+ kids aged 5–13 linked more household chores to better working memory and impulse control, exactly the skills that help a kid put the controller down (same summary).

Put together: screens take up hours of every day, chores are slipping, and the thing that's good for kids is the thing they're doing less of. Linking the two isn't strict parenting. It's a pretty good trade.

Why "chores first" works (and why it keeps slipping)

Psychologists have a name for "first the broccoli, then the pudding": the Premack principle, sometimes called Grandma's rule. A less-wanted activity (chores) becomes easier to start when it's the gateway to a more-wanted one (Minecraft). Your grandma was right; she just didn't have an app.

So why does it fall apart by Wednesday?

• The reward is negotiable. If screen time sometimes arrives without the chores, the rule turns into a suggestion. Kids are excellent at spotting suggestions.

• The parent is the lock. Every unlock depends on you being home, awake and in the mood for a debate. You won't always be.

• "Later" is invisible. "I'll do it after this episode" feels reasonable to a 9-year-old because the chore and the consequence are far apart. A locked app makes "first" visible right now.

• Nobody keeps score. Without a list, it's your memory against theirs. Guess who wins.

An automatic lock fixes all four: the rule is the same every day, the device enforces it, and the task list is right there on the screen.

Method 1: Apple Screen Time (iPhone and iPad)

Apple Screen Time can't connect apps to chores directly, but you can fake it with Downtime:

1. On your iPhone, go to Settings → Screen Time and choose your child (Family Sharing needs to be set up).

2. Turn on Downtime and set it to run from after school until the time chores are usually done, for example 3:30–6:00pm.

3. Under Always Allowed, keep only what they need for homework (and the phone app).

4. When your kid shows you the finished chores, open their Screen Time settings and turn Downtime off for today.

5. Remember to turn it back on tomorrow. (This is the step everyone forgets.)

The catch: you're still the one checking and unlocking, every single day. Screen Time also has no idea what the chores are, so there's nothing for your kid to tick off and nothing to earn.

Method 2: Google Family Link (Android)

Family Link works the same way:

1. Open Family Link and choose your child.

2. Set up Downtime (or School Time) for the after-school hours.

3. When the chores are done, unlock the device or give extra time from your phone.

4. Turn it back on for tomorrow.

The catch: same as Apple's. It's a manual lock and unlock, and it doesn't know about chores.

Method 3: An app that locks apps until chores are done

This is where earn-screen-time apps come in. Instead of you flipping switches, the app keeps games and videos locked until your kid completes the tasks you've set, then unlocks them automatically. Your job shrinks to setting the tasks once and occasionally checking the bed really was made.

Step by step: lock apps until chores are done with ScreenTreat

Setup takes about five minutes. Grab your phone and your kid's device.

1. Install ScreenTreat on your phone and your kid's iPhone, iPad or Android device.

2. Pair the devices by scanning the QR code. On iPhone, allow Screen Time access when asked; that's what makes the lock real.

3. Choose the apps to lock: games, YouTube, TikTok, whatever turns into "just one more". Leave homework apps unlocked.

4. Add must-do tasks. Pick from templates or write your own: homework, make the bed, brush teeth, feed the dog. Until these are done, the locked apps stay locked.

5. Set the daily screen time your kid gets once must-dos are done, plus bedtime and dinner off-screen times.

6. Add one or two bonus tasks (read 20 minutes, help with dinner) that earn extra minutes or Stars for real-life treats.

That's it. Tomorrow after school, your kid opens the app, sees the list, ticks things off, and the apps unlock on their own. When time's up, Treatsy pops up with a friendly reminder instead of you shouting up the stairs.

Bonus for busy parents: with the Family plan you can add minutes, block apps instantly or change tasks remotely from your own phone.

How to make "chores before screens" actually stick

The app handles the lock. These habits handle the kid.

• Start with three must-dos, not ten. A short list gets done; a long one gets argued about. Add more after the first good week.

• Make tasks specific. "Tidy your room" is a debate. "Clothes in the basket, books on the shelf" is a checklist.

• Match tasks to age. 6–7: make bed, put shoes away, brush teeth. 8–9: pack schoolbag, feed pet, 15 minutes of reading. 10–12: homework, empty dishwasher, 20 minutes of reading.

• Check now and then. Kids sometimes tick first and do later. A few random spot checks ("show me the bed!") early on keep everyone honest.

• Use bonus tasks as the carrot. Must-dos unlock normal time; bonus tasks are how kids earn more. That's what turns grumbling into "what else can I do?".

• Keep the rule the same on weekends. Changing rules by day is the fastest way back to negotiating. (Fewer must-dos on Saturday is fine; no must-dos is not.)

• Agree it together. Sit down for five minutes and set the tasks with your kid. Rules they helped write are rules they follow.

What's a made bed worth? A starter "exchange rate"

The most common question parents ask: how much screen time should a chore earn? There's no official rate (yet), so here's a starting point many families find fair. Must-dos unlock the normal daily allowance; bonus tasks earn extra.

Tip: cap bonus time per day (say, +45 minutes). Otherwise you'll have the cleanest kitchen in the country and a child who hasn't looked up from Roblox since Tuesday.

Siblings: same rules, different lists

"Why does SHE only have to make her bed?!" Fairness matters hugely to kids, and it doesn't mean identical lists.

• Same rule, age-matched tasks. Everyone does their must-dos before screens; the tasks fit the age.

• Same exchange rate for the same bonus task. Reading 20 minutes earns the same for everyone.

• Make lists visible. Put everyone's list where the whole family can see it (the fridge works). When kids can see each other's tasks, the "it's not fair" argument mostly disappears.

• Team bonuses. Occasionally add a shared bonus ("tidy the living room together = +20 min each"). Cheaper than a referee.

Weekends, holidays and sick days

The rule only works if it's predictable, but life isn't.

• Weekends: keep the rule, lighten the list. Two must-dos instead of four still means "tasks first".

• School holidays: swap homework for reading, an outdoor hour or a project. Holidays are when screen time balloons, so this is when the system pays off most.

• Sick days: pause the must-dos and set a fixed allowance. Kindness beats consistency when someone has a temperature.

• Travel and long car rides: agree in advance ("chores done before we leave = free screen time in the car"). Treatsy fully supports road-trip diplomacy.

When it backfires (and what to do)

Every family hits a bump in week one. The usual ones:

Your first 7 days

1. Day 1 (setup, 15 minutes): sit down together, pick 3 must-dos and 1–2 bonus tasks, and agree the daily allowance and bedtime.

2. Day 2: first real run. Expect some testing. Praise the first unlock like it's a moon landing.

3. Day 3: do one friendly spot check. Adjust any task that caused an argument.

4. Day 4: add one more bonus task your kid suggests. Ownership beats instructions.

5. Day 5: notice the evenings. Fewer "five more minutes"? Write it down; you'll want proof next week.

6. Day 6–7 (weekend): lighter list, same rule.

7. End of week: a two-minute family review: what worked, what felt unfair, one change for next week.

FAQ

Can I lock apps until homework is done on iPhone without an app?

Only manually. Use Screen Time's Downtime after school and switch it off once homework is done. It works, but you have to check and unlock it yourself every day.

Is there an app that unlocks screen time when chores are done?

Yes. Earn-screen-time apps like ScreenTreat keep chosen apps locked until must-do tasks are complete, then unlock them automatically. See our comparison of the best earn-screen-time apps.

What if my kid ticks tasks off without doing them?

It happens, especially in week one. Do a few spot checks, and talk about it calmly: the deal only works if it's honest. Most kids stop once they see you actually check.

Does it work on Android?

Yes. ScreenTreat works on Android phones and tablets as well as iPhone and iPad.

Isn't making kids earn screen time a bribe?

A bribe is offered mid-meltdown. This is a rule agreed in advance, like a job with clear pay: effort first, fun after.

What age is this for?

It works best from about 6 to 12. Younger kids do well with a picture chart; teens need more say in setting the rules.

Try it: download ScreenTreat, pick three must-dos, and let Treatsy be the bad guy for once. He's very nice about it.