3 affordable Apple Watch alternatives for kids
My sixth-grader has been asking me to splurge on an Apple Watch for her lately, but I don't see that in her future at the moment. The thing is: she doesn't have a phone yet. So I see little value in spending that kind of money on a watch, when she won't get the...
Cases with a cause: Student-designed smartphone cases celebrate women empowerment, sisterhood, and the LGBTQ+ community
The original designs by the two awesome winners of the first annual Make My Case design competition have been released by Speck, BUILT BY GIRLS, and Verizon, and they're all about supporting empowerment, sisterhood, and the LGBTQ+ community. Yeah! Related: 17 awesome...
Does Gmail have parental controls? Well, here’s the deal.
In our Out Tech Your Kids group on Facebook, we've had several questions about parental controls for Gmail, with so many kids needing and using email accounts. We did some research to see what parents can and can't do when it comes to monitoring their kid's Gmail...
Why are kids watching other people play video games? A tech expert weighs in.
So your kids are obsessed with watching other people play video games and you can't quite wrap your mind around it. We decided to ask video gaming expert Dr. Rachel Kowert to weigh in on this phenomenon and tell us what we need to know. We've spoken about video games...
This might make you think twice about getting AirPods
We're pretty much Team AirPods here at Cool Mom Tech. I was the first person to try them and sing their praises (though I don't use them anymore since my dog chewed one up). Then Liz jumped on the AirPods train. Well, after reading this recent article in the...
Instagram launches Restrict to help combat bullying. Here’s how it works.
With someone who's got two teens on Instagram, I was pleased to hear that they recently added Restrict, an anti-bullying feature that, as Instagram describes, "allows users to quietly protect their account while still keeping an eye on their bully." It reminds me a...
The most gorgeous, modern lighting is sustainably made from…corn.
Sometimes I discover a new company at a tech press event that I'm so excited about, I run right over here to tell you about it. And sometimes, that product is so perfect that I first make a quick stop at the company website to buy one for myself. That's just the story...
Our review of the new Nintendo Switch Lite
Over the weekend, my family and I played with the Nintendo Switch Lite, which is Nintendo's newest handheld gaming device. Considering how much we love the Nintendo Switch, we figured this would going to be a pretty popular holiday gift for lots of people. Plus, we...
25 things kids should know before they get a smartphone
Whether your kids have had a smartphone for awhile now, or you're considering getting them started with one, it's important that they understand how to use it. And as we all know, when it comes to a smartphone, it's not as simple as dialing a number or sending a text...
How to raise responsible digital kids
Over the last few weeks in particularly, we've seen our Out Tech Your Kids Facebook community filled with parents who seem panicked — or at least very concerned — about kids and texting and social media. And if you follow us (or are a member of that group), then you...
5 ways to encourage screen-life balance in your kids (and you)
Raising kids in a digital age presents all sorts of parenting challenges. That’s one of the many reasons we started Cool Mom Tech, along with our new Out Tech Your Kids Facebook Group (OTYK). And we talk about it a lot on our Spawned Parenting Podcast. While it can be...
Instagram Stories trick: Turn your Live Photos into Boomerangs!
I often like adding Boomerangs to an Instagram Story to help change things up from still photos. But then, I either have to go shoot a Boomerang in Instagram (and figure out what to shoot) or open the Boomerang app itself. Not one of life's greatest problems, but...
Tech Tips & Tricks to Make Life (Way) Easier
NBD Google just shared some private videos in Google Photos to strangers.
In what feels like a game of "Which Site Will Violate Our Privacy More This Week?," Google remains consistent in their issues with user privacy and released an inconspicuous email to users to let them know that some Google Photos users might have had their private...
The 20-20-20 rule, and why you (and your eyes) need to know about it
Every now and then I'll spot a fantastic article shared by one of my Facebook friends, only to discover it was written a few years ago. Womp, womp. But in a few cases, like this Vice article about what screens are doing to our eyes (and our kids' eyes), there's still...
Digital parenting tip: How to teach your kids (and yourself) to spot fake photos
We live in an age of photoshop and photo altering, and quite frankly, our teens and tweens are pretty savvy when it comes to pointing out (and complaining about) a model's face that's been de-wrinkled. But photos of women -- made to look skinnier and younger -- aren't...
Even More Coolness. Enjoy!
Apple Event 2019: Here’s the quick and dirty on the iPhone 11 Pro, Apple Arcade, and everything else they announced
On Tuesday, Apple hosted their big Apple Event 2019 and announced some pretty exciting new products and services. If you had time to watch it live, this time streaming on YouTube (whoa), then you've probably heard all of this before. But if you're like me (aka a busy...
10 things you need to know before using a school-issued laptop
For lots of middle school kids, back to school means back to tech. Specifically: school-issued laptops. Of course, when we're thinking about our kids and tech that they don't own themselves, but they're responsible for day-in and day-out, that comes with a whole host...
Parents beware: The Siri 911 prank is going around again.
My son just texted me: "Mom, Say 18 to Siri, but then watch your screen." Sure enough, a countdown for calling 911 pops up. Thankfully, I was watching my screen like he told me to and I was able to stop it. Related: The first thing your child should say when they call...
5 of our favorite, fun educational apps to get elementary students excited about learning this year.
Last week, my daughter Sage and I had a great time talking with the crew from News12 (NYC, Long Island, Westchester) about our favorite fun, educational apps for grade schoolers that help your kids make the most out of screen time. I'm glad I had the opportunity to...
The stylish new Bandolier crossbody phone cases. Until women get some clothes with some damn pockets.
Those who know me, know I love my Bandolier. I keep upgrading mine every time I get a new iPhone, that's how much I love it. Especially now that they offer a selection of Bandolier zip pouches that attach to the back, to help you carry more stuff with less hassle....
YouTube slated to launch new web platform for kids. But there’s a catch.
YouTube has come under major scrutiny in the last couple of years with inappropriate videos showing up on their popular YouTube Kids apps, from awful parodies to suicide how-to videos. So according to a recent report, they've decided to launch a new web version of...
iPhone cases for food lovers. Donuts, anyone?
With all the back to school shopping we've been doing for our kids, we thought it might be time to do a little for ourselves. Granted, I don't need a new backpack, but a new iPhone case? That I can definitely rationalize, like these fun Sonix iPhone cases for food...
Beautiful vintage camera straps for snapping in style
We've been long time fans of Epiphanie camera bags since they launched, so when founder Maile Wilson shared a link to their gorgeous vintage camera straps, I just had to share. For those of you with a DSLR, these are quite the stylish accessory. Related: This e-book...
How to set up a family account for your Kindle library. Yay for sharing books!
My daughter and I have the same taste in books, generally, so we love sharing anything good we've read lately. That's typically been much easier to do with hardcopy books than digital ones, but now you can set up a Family Library for your Kindle library. Whoo! This...
3 great podcasts to help you learn a foreign language
We get all sorts of awesome questions in our Out Tech Your Kids Facebook Group. You are a member, right? Recently, a parent asked for foreign language podcast recommendations for kids. So, we dug around and found these 3 great podcasts to help you learn a foreign...
Easy tip for more mindful screen time: Download these lock screen wallpapers for your phone
This weekend, inspired by the Cool Mom Picks book club video chat about How to Break Up with Your Phone, I decided to try one of author Catherine Price's tips to help me be more mindful about my screen time, and more aware of how much I pick up my phone. She suggested...
Keep your eyes safer with these blue light blocking screen protectors
As someone who works on a smartphone and computer all day long, I've become very diligent about wearing my blue light blocking glasses. I even have a pair for my kids, but no surprise here, they rarely remember to wear them. And well, considering I leave mine at my...