How do we teach our kids to make good commenting choices? | Episode 2 Out-Tech Your Kids
“Don’t read the comments” isn’t going to fly when your kids are old enough to watch YouTube videos without you around, let alone managing their own TikTok accounts. But learning how to be a responsible commenter is a skill that comes in handy...
5 ways to use tech to document your family’s stories from the pandemic
When our state was put under a stay-at-home order back in the middle of March, 2020, I told my 11-year old that she should start writing in her journal every day because this was going to be a time in history that her kids and their kids after them would be hearing...
Here’s how to make that Facebook Avatar that looks nothing like you.
If you’re like me, then your Facebook feed has been filled with everyone’s new Facebook avatar. It’s also been filled with people saying how they look nothing like them. And I have to be honest, I totally agree. So of course, I had to give it a try...
How to practice safe socializing using tech during the Coronavirus outbreak
It’s ironic that I chose the word “connect” as my 2020 word, just to find myself practicing “social distancing” three months into the year. Suddenly, instead of looking forward to coffee shop meetups, long chummy walks, and dinners with...
The best ways to clean and disinfect your phone during cold and flu season: From gentle cleaning to killing bacteria and microbes
With the concern about the COVID-19 Coronavirus right now, it seems like a good time to bring back the talk about the best ways to clean your phone, or disinfect it entirely. Also, your kids’ phones (ahem). Because while it’s important to know the best way...
How to hide your Instagram Story from users. Psst: If you can do it, your kids can do it too.
A few months ago, we shared how to set up the Close Friends feature on Instagram, just in case you’ve got your kids (and their friends) following you and wanted to share something that they couldn’t see. Of course, whenever you do that, then you can pretty much assume...
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...
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),...
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...
4 ways to try a tech detox with your family that actually work
With resolutions and goals for 2020 in mind, we know that a lot parents are thinking about technology and screen time. Wrangling screen time is a huge concern for many of you (and us), as well as the members of our Out Tech Your Kids Facebook Group. Let’s just...
How to take better holiday photos: 6 fantastic online photo tutorials to make your holidays merrier and brighter. (But not too bright – just the right white balance.)
Every parent wants to know how to take better pictures, especially around Christmas. A few years ago I received the completely awesome gift of a DSLR camera, but I admit I haven’t entirely learned how to use it properly. I’ve taken thousands of pictures...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.)
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