Should your kids BeReal with this new photo-sharing app?
You may have seen this hilarious sketch on SNL that has a bunch of adults using the app BeReal during a rather tense situation. (if you haven't seen it yet, go watch now! I'll wait.) This sketch does a great job explaining what BeReal is, but we've seen your comments...
How to avoid tech neck: Tips for a healthier, more ergonomic laptop experience for your teens and tweens
If your kids are using a laptop or Chromebook for their schoolwork (or gaming), there are a few simple things you can teach them (and purchase) to help them avoid tech neck. Yes, it's totally a thing (says the person who's on her computer most hours of the day). Here...
Student discounts on these meditation apps can help college students find zen for a lot less.
For those of us with college students (already!), we know how stressful it can be for our kids to get adjusted to a totally new schedule and, often, a new living situation. We even included meditation apps among our recommendations of apps for college freshmen to...
Help for kids with anxiety: 4 excellent mindfulness podcasts to help soothe the scaries of the world
If you need help for kids with anxiety, I am so grateful for these terrific mindfulness podcasts for kids. We all know that unfortunately, anxiety is on the rise for lots of children, including my own. Maybe you're trying to help a child with chronic anxiety, or maybe...
18 of the best tech gifts for teens — according to actual teens
We know shopping for the best tech gifts for teens can be pretty challenging, but in our experience, tech is pretty much always a hit -- provided it's age appropriate. And we've got that down! For more than 10 years now, we've been in on the hottest new tech trends so...
A complete guide to the best apps for college students leaving home, to help them navigate life (sniff) on their own.
We thought it would be a smart idea to put together the best apps for college students, and especially college freshmen. After all, when parents send our kids off to college -- whether close to home or across the country -- you really want them equipped with all the...
5 important back-to-school tech conversations to have with your tweens and teens
With back-to-school around the corner for us (and here for many of you), I always like to take some time to have tech conversations before things get super hectic. Whether your kids have their own phones or not, these tech conversations still apply (in many cases),...
Headspace and Star Wars team up to teach mindfulness to kids.
It's no secret that we are huge fans of Star Wars here at Cool Mom Tech, so when we heard that Headspace just launched new mindfulness and meditation content for kids 5-10 called Find Your Force with Star Wars, I rocketed over to watch the first of four videos on...
How to limit weight loss ads (or other types of advertising topics) on Instagram
I'm not sure about you, but I'm getting bombarded with ads on Instagram, whether it's in the feed or in the middle of my stories. Argh! Most of the stuff I don't really mind (well, maybe my wallet does), but there are things, like weight loss ads, that I do have an...
Is email overwhelming you? SaneBox to the rescue.
This is a sponsored message from SaneBox Whether that little red email badge is showing you 20 unread messages or 20,000, it can be overwhelming to feel like you'll never get to the bottom of it. Enter SaneBox. Trusted by TechCrunch, The New York Times, Forbes and...
Our guide to the best headphones for students, from kids to teens | Back to School Guide
We've spent the past several years evaluating the best headphones for students for remote learning, and while kids are back in school, one of the residual effects has been more online learning (and social!) opportunities. Whether kids are doing virtual live tutoring,...
The Games for Change Challenge highlights the brightest change makers of the next generation
With all the social and humanitarian crises we are facing as a nation, it's more important than ever that the next generation is activated toward making a difference. The children are our future, right? Well, here's one way that's happening. Meet Games for Change,...
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Tech Tips & Tricks to Make Life (Way!) Easier.
Student discounts on these meditation apps can help college students find zen for a lot less.
For those of us with college students (already!), we know how stressful it can be for our kids to get adjusted to a totally new schedule and, often, a new living situation. We even included meditation apps among our recommendations of apps for college freshmen to...
A complete guide to the best apps for college students leaving home, to help them navigate life (sniff) on their own.
We thought it would be a smart idea to put together the best apps for college students, and especially college freshmen. After all, when parents send our kids off to college -- whether close to home or across the country -- you really want them equipped with all the...
5 important back-to-school tech conversations to have with your tweens and teens
With back-to-school around the corner for us (and here for many of you), I always like to take some time to have tech conversations before things get super hectic. Whether your kids have their own phones or not, these tech conversations still apply (in many cases),...
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Will Meta’s new parental controls keep teens safer on Instagram and Quest? We have thoughts.
Recently, Meta announced it would be launching new parental safety controls for teens in the form of tools and resources for both the Instagram social media app and their Meta Quest VR gaming headsets. The goal is to help parents better manage what our teens are...
10 photo tips for fireworks: How to keep from coming home with 127 blurry blips in the sky
Fireworks are at the top of nearly everybody's list of favorite Fourth of July memories, but capturing the magic in fireworks photos can be extremely tricky. So we scoured our favorite photography and tech resources for great photo tips for fireworks, so that the...
Dell’s Black Friday in July: Take advantage of Dell’s education discount for students and parents
This is a sponsored message from Dell If you're looking for a new laptop, computer, or tech accessories, this is a great time, thanks to Dell's Black Friday in July sale. Starting June 30, visit Dell.com/CoolMomTech for big savings off all kinds of computers and...
Not into audiobooks? Here’s the one thing that finally changed my mind.
It took me longer than most people to get into audiobooks. Even while friends raved about flying through so many books on their commutes or while sitting in carpool lines, I had tried a few novels on Audible -- good ones! -- and just couldn't get through them. I...
This baby monitor has features that make you go, “whoa…how do they do that?”
This is a sponsored message from the pixsee Baby Monitor If you have been looking for the high-tech baby monitor that "does it all" -- and more -- you'll be amazed by the pixsee baby monitor. It's not just an incredible (and adorable) camera, it's controlled by a...
5 phenomenal tech deals for dads: The stuff he really wants
Father's Day is coming up and while we always have loads of last-minute Father's Day gift ideas for you over on Cool Mom Picks, I was poking around to find some deals for you late shoppers. Turns out, there are some fantastic tech gifts for dads on sale right now --...
16 very cool Father’s Day tech gifts all under $100 | Father’s Day Gift Guide 2022
For our annual Father's Day gift guide, we've found 16 of the coolest Father's Day tech gifts under $100 (if we do say so ourselves) -- several of them even under $50! Because June 19th is coming up fast. We always have a great time tracking down the best Father's Day...
What’s the best Fitbit for you? Here are some questions to help you figure it out.
Lately, a lot of readers have been asking us to recommend the best Fitbit for their needs -- for themselves as a form of self-care, for gifts for others (ahem Mother's Day and Father's Day are coming up), or just an upgrade to an older model they already have. They've...
The best group video makers for birthdays, graduation, teacher appreciation and more.
After creating a group video for my teen's birthday during the height of the pandemic, I realized how many other occasions it would be perfect for: end-of-year teacher appreciation gifts, Mother's Day, Father's Day, graduation, special anniversaries or days you want...
Cool gift idea under $5: Printable photo frames that look like vintage objects.
Digging through our archives for some creative Mother's Day gift ideas, I came across this one that was so excited, I wanted to share it again -- printable papercraft camera frames. As in, picture frames that you print, cut and fold, and when you're through, they...
Please consider these 5 things before deleting your twitter account.
With the big breaking news this week about the controversial purchase and privatization of Twitter by Elon Musk, a lot of users are talking about whether they'll consider deleting their Twitter account, for a variety of reasons. Some users are uncomfortable with so...
10 tech gifts for the mobile mom, all are as cool as they are practical | Mother’s Day 2022
As much as we love flowers and chocolate for Mother's Day (seriously, bring it on) we'd never say no to an awesome Mother's Day tech gift. Especially one that recognizes we are basically insanely busy, on-the-go multi-taskers who manage our entire lives -- and our...