by Cool Mom Staff | Internet Safety, Tips and Tricks
By now, everyone knows about Snapchat and kids right? It’s like Snapchat has come to epitomize the “watch out for kids and their apps.” But the truth is, there are so so many apps that can get kids into trouble, and it’s hard to keep up with...
by Cool Mom Staff | Internet Safety, Tips and Tricks
We’re all learning about new technology right along with our kids, which can put us at a bit of a disadvantage. Darn those growing brains. And if you’ve ever gotten a new cell phone and seen how much more your kid knows about it than you do, well, you know...
by Kate Etue | Internet Safety
When we were Apple newbies, my kids racked up quite a collection of paid apps before I realized what was happening. And I wasn’t the only one. Apple ended up refunding lots of parents money for apps their kids bought. Then they set up the Ask to Buy feature in...
by Kate Etue | Internet Safety
My internet at home has been so slow lately, so I recently upgraded to the top-of-the-line WiFi option our cable company offers. Even still, our service can get spotty when 6 people all arrive home, and want to get online at the same time. So I was excited for the...
by Kristen Chase | Internet Safety
When Snapchat (or just Snap, as it’s being called these days) rolled out it’s Snap Map feature earlier this summer, there was a lot of buzz about the safety risks it could present, especially with so many younger users. Basically, the Snap Map tracks your...
by Kristen Chase | Internet Safety
A recent survey of more than 1600 U.K. kids revealed some fascinating results when it comes to kids’ online behavior, leading the UK’s National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) to make some pretty strong recommendations for parents....
by Liz Gumbinner | Internet Safety
We all issued a collective gasp around here this week, reading about the online game called Blue Whale, A.K.A. The Suicide Game. And of course right away I was hoping it was a big hoax. When I checked out the details, I was kind of hoping it was some awful...
by Kristen Chase | Internet Safety
Just when we parents were worried about all those scary parody videos on YouTube, an eight-year-old boy watched a regular old driving how-to video and decided to hit the road with his sister for a McDonald’s stop. Nope, we’re not kidding. Can you imagine...
by Liz Gumbinner | Internet Safety, Tips and Tricks
Phishing cons are getting increasingly sophisticated, as even my tech-savvy boyfriend and I did a double take at this Netflix phishing email — before realizing it was complete crap. The goal, as with most phishing emails: To get you to provide your personal...
by Kristen Chase | Internet Safety, Tips and Tricks
With the recent CloudPets hack, and others like it (remember Hello Barbie?), it’s becoming clearer that smart toys, particularly the stuffed animal kind, could pose a privacy risk that parents should know about. Don’t get us wrong, we love smart toys and...
by Kristen Chase | Internet Safety
There have been plenty of times I’ve been stuck with a low charge on my smart phone or tablet, especially when I’m traveling, and have used one of those public charging ports to juice my device up again. Well, you might want to skip those because from what...
by Kate Etue | Internet Safety
If you own an Internet-connected VIZIO smart television, you might have heard that they’ve been collecting data on your viewing habits for years, and surprise, it’s a serious breach of privacy. We took a close look at the reports and the claim on the FTC...