Easy Internet safety tips for parents from an expert that you can start using right now
Parents are always asking us how to monitor the safety of their kids online. Combine that with social media, and it can be really overwhelming for parents to know how to educate their kids while still keeping track of their activity. And as someone with a tween in the...
Must-read info: How your Instagram photos could be used by brands. And what to do about it.
Just a few days ago while perusing new Cool Mom Picks Instagram followers (hey, thanks new followers!), I clicked over to the Sesame Place Instagram feed and noticed something pretty surprising in their bio: Photos using #sesameplace become property of Sesame Place In...
Circle with Disney screen time management system: Is it worth it for parents?
A lot of our readers have been asking us about Circle with Disney, a new device on that market designed to connect to your WiFi specifically to help parents monitor their kids’ internet usage and manage screen time. We were really curious about how it works and...
First cell phones for kids: 12 features and considerations to help you find the perfect one.
We’re continuing our series about kids and cell phones on behalf of our sponsor, the premium authorized Verizon retailer, Cellular Sales, because wow, do parents need help with this! And by parents, we mean, ourselves too! Because we know first-hand that once...
How to know if your child is ready for a cell phone: 5 questions to ask yourself. Then answer, honestly.
One of the most frequent questions we’re asked at Cool Mom Tech is at what age we think kids are ready to get their first cell phones. And, well, the short answer is… it depends. Unfortunately, it’s not an easy fill in a number here answer. Because...
A fast, easy way to identify and block unwanted scam calls. Because no, you did not actually win a free cruise in a contest you don’t remember entering.
It seems the whole National Do Not Call Registry isn’t always effective. Legit marketers have a lot of loopholes; charities, pollsters, political fundraisers and others are exempt; and then there are those shady marketers who simply don’t care. I know,...
Piquing our geek: Can SmartFeed make our kids’ media more mindful, not mindless?
Trying to manage my three kids’ time spent and content viewed on all of the various devices we have in this house is one of the most thankless, naggy job out there. They don’t fully understand why I say “no” to the newest app, or why YouTube...
Sponsored Message: Webroot keeps you and your family safe online, wherever you are.
This is a sponsored message for Webroot No matter how much you or your family is online, the last thing you want to worry about is malware, viruses, and data and identity theft. That’s where the award-winning Webroot security software comes in, to help...
An Instagram ban on all children’s photos? It could happen.
Everyone’s favorite photo-sharing app rocked the parenting world yesterday when they announced the possibility of banning all photos of minors on Instagram. Our Twitter and Facebook feeds were going nuts, as you can totally imagine. Evidently ongoing pressure...
Apps parents should know: The Burnbook app, bringing Mean Girls to a school near you. UPDATED.
See below for a breaking update about the Burnbook app If you haven’t yet heard of the Burnbook app, it’s the latest anonymous social app that’s causing a stir among teens and parents and even law enforcement around the country. Next in our series of...
The Frozen Games online that you want your kids playing, never.
It’s been a whole year since we discovered unlicensed Plastic Surgery Barbie apps for kids that made wonder what the freaking heck is wrong with people, and now, hooray! Here comes another series of games to file under Kids Games That Make Us Want to Scream WTF,...Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz
We started Cool Mom Tech in 2010 to help make our increasingly digital lives easier, more organized, more meaningful, and more fun, however old your kids may be.
We love that it's grown to become the go-to source for millions of parents who want commonsense info about tech delivered with a smile.
We even have the privilege of sharing our tips + tricks with The TODAY Show, CNN, HLN, GMA, Nightline, newspapers and magazines around the country, and our favorite -- regular parents who stop us at PTA meetings and ask us how old kids need to be to get a smartphone, and whether they really need to panic about Snapchat.
(Answer: It's complicated.)
We're so glad you're here! And we hope we can help you too.
Join our community for tech-positive parenting
The Spawned Parenting Podcast. (It’s won awards and everything!)
Be a savvier digital parent in under 15 minutes a week
Work with us!
