6 household rules for teens to establish healthy habits

Setting household rules for teens can be a balancing act. Your teen is no longer a child, but they're not yet an independent adult. You can respect their growing autonomy by implementing a few reasonable rules that keep your household running smoothly — and your teen focused on their responsibilities.

Why are rules important for teens?

Our brains don't fully develop until around age 25. That doesn't mean teens aren’t super smart. 🤓 It just means their situational awareness and judgment aren't the same as those of adults. Teenagers tend to make more decisions emotionally than rationally, which is 100% normal. It's all part of growing up!

By setting a few consistent rules for your teens, you can help them stretch their 🧠 muscles and think sensibly. Plus, having a few family house rules can keep conflicts at bay since everyone understands the expectations. 

6 basic house rules for teens to establish healthy habits

When setting house rules for teenagers, consider the values you want to instill. Integrity, generosity, and self-discipline are some examples. Those traits can help your teen strengthen their confidence as they enter adulthood. By incorporating a few ground rules into your overall parenting strategy, you can help them develop those traits. 

1. Do your chores

Running a household takes work. Cleaning, yard work, and other tasks can add up quickly and feel overwhelming. While your teen probably already has a few chores they’re responsible for, like keeping their room clean and making their bed, you can add tasks that support the entire household. That way, they learn what it takes to keep a home running — something future roommates will appreciate once your teen is on their own. 😉   

Sit down with your teen, talk about your household chores, and ask them how they could pitch in. They could make a family dinner once a week, mow the lawn, or do laundry. Learning how to do those chores can be a tremendous time saver for you and teach your teen valuable life skills.

2. Be financially responsible

Learning financial responsibility is a critical skill that can help teens avoid future financial mistakes. Establishing a budget, setting up an emergency fund, and learning investing basics teach teens the tenets of personal finance. 

You can instill financial responsibility in your teen by setting up a few effective rules about spending money. For instance, you might ask your teen to save or invest a percentage of the money they earn. Make it easy with an app like Greenlight, where you can safely help kids learn to manage their own money. If they want something expensive — like that new video game — encourage them to save for it rather than buy it for them. You can also help them set up a savings plan, so they learn how to set aside money for the things they want.

3. Respect curfews and family time

Your teen may want to spend much of their free time with their buddies. However, too much socializing can cut into their other responsibilities, like chores and family time. You want to facilitate a healthy balance between school, family, and friends, so consider setting a few house rules for their safety (and your sanity!). 

If your teen drives or goes out at night, consider setting a curfew to help curtail dangerous situations. You can use Greenlight's Driving Reports¹ to track their driving habits and help them improve their skills. Crash detection, SOS alerts, and location sharing help keep them safe and give you peace of mind.

With the right boundaries in place, your teen still gets the benefits of socializing while maintaining responsibility and structure.

4. Prioritize school and homework

Whether your child plans to attend college, learn a trade, or do something else entirely, school performance can impact their ability to attain an internship, nail a first job, or get into the school of their choice. 

Setting ground rules and prioritizing school teaches teens time management skills they’ll need in the future. To help teens learn to prioritize, consider setting requirements around doing homework first or on time. If you decide to set consequences for missed deadlines, you could hold back allowance, technology, or restrict other privileges until they get back on top of their studies.

5. Stick to any rules for devices, screen time, and social media

Screens and online activities can be a major time drain for teens and adults. It's all too easy to mindlessly scroll content or stay up late with a favorite video game 🎮, which can cut into daily productivity. Try to implement a few reasonable screen time rules to keep your teen focused on their responsibilities and hold them to it. For instance, you might set a daily limit for devices, make smartphones a no-no at the dinner table, or an hour before bed on weekdays.  

If social media interferes with home and school responsibilities, try setting more rigid boundaries. You can set parental controls that shut certain apps down after a set time. Your teen may be surprised how much more productive they can be.

6. Be respectful and never bully

Most kids witness or experience bullying at school or in their personal lives at some point. You never want your child to be a bullying target, but you don't want them to participate in it, either. Everyone has differences, and treating people with respect is a huge part of developing positive behavior and social skills. 

To discourage bullying, talk about it as a family: 

• Discuss the impact of bullying and how it can make victims feel. 

• If you notice your teen bullying or disrespecting anyone, including family or friends, set some household rules and consequences. 

Clear boundaries set examples for teens and may encourage them to think twice before engaging in unacceptable behavior.

How Greenlight can help you establish healthy habits for teens

Living with teens is rewarding but takes patience. 😆 Creating and enforcing a set of house rules can help foster clear communication and expectations while supporting your teen through their ups and downs. 

At Greenlight, we believe in empowering teens to be their best selves so they can become responsible adults. Our money and safety app for families is designed to help kids learn the basics of personal finance, including saving, spending, and investing. Our chores and allowance makes it easy to help them earn and save for the things they want. Get started with Greenlight today and get the first month on us!

¹Requires mobile data or a WiFi connection, and access to sensory and motion data from cell phone to utilize family location sharing, SOS alerts and crash detection features. Messaging and data rates and other terms may apply.