Is YouTube Kids really safe? These videos will probably make you say “no.”
It's been a rough couple of weeks for YouTube, first with the news about their growing pedophile problem. And now, YouTube Kids is under fire. We know lots of parents, including us, have found a little sigh of relief letting kids watch videos on YouTube Kids,...
Are your favorite apps sharing your personal data with Facebook, even if you’re not on Facebook? The answer is yes.
In what seems to be a never ending issue with Facebook and privacy, the latest news is that Facebook has been receiving data from apps from users who do not even have a Facebook account. And one of the 11 apps that has been discovered so far, is one of our favorites:...
What you need to know about YouTube’s pedophile problem
Over the years, we've written about many issues that parents need to be aware of when it comes to the content on YouTube. But this recent report from Wired should really throw the huge red flag of caution up for parents, particularly if you have kids posting videos on...
Coding just got cooler (and cuter) with the Artie 3000 robot.
One of our favorite tech discoveries at this year's New York Toy Fair was this adorable new drawing robot Artie 3000. What makes him so special you ask? Well, let's just say he teaches kids ages 7-12 how to code using activities created in collaboration with Mensa for...
8 podcasts I’ve listened to this month
My name is Kristen. And I'm a podcast-a-holic. I am completely obsessed with podcasts now that I have a bit of a commute every morning and afternoon. I love finding new (or usually new-to-me) listens, so I hope my podcast recommendations (other than the obvious...
How can I stop inappropriate follow requests on Instagram?
Last week, we had a lively discussion about inappropriate follow requests on Instagram in our Out Tech Your Kids Facebook Group. Many parents bemoaned the challenges of trying to navigate this with their kids on Instagram, even on private accounts. Unfortunately,...
The Grammarly keyboard app is a fast typer’s BFF
One of the many reasons I love my smart phone is that it allows me to untether myself from a desk or home office, so I actually end up spending more time with my family. That means I'm sending emails on the fly, and doing a whole lot of texting versus long conference...
Fire up your printer for these amazing free Women in STEM posters
You're going to want to stock up on printer ink and rev up your printers for these amazing and totally free Women in STEM posters from the Nevertheless podcast, which tells stories of women who are transforming teaching and learning through technology (which I'm sure...
Screen time and social media with kids: We might be doing it wrong, parents
Since reading Anya Kamenetz's interview with Jordan Shapiro on NPR, I've made some heavy shifts in how I'm approaching screen time with my kids. For the years that they've been on video games, tablets and most recently, their own phones, I've been all about screening...
How to set up the Screen Time app to manage your child’s screen time
After finally updating my son's iPhone SE to iOS 12, I've been able to properly utilize the Screen Time app, which by the way, is where you'll find all the Restrictions you might be familiar with from previous iOS versions. If you've got kids with iPhones, I'd...
You can now unsend messages on Facebook Messenger. This is not a drill.
If you're still using Facebook and Facebook Messenger, then you might have missed some big news that makes life a little bit better: you can now unsend messages on Facebook Messenger. Hey, it only took 10 months, and wasn't even a thing until it was made public that...
New emojis for 2019: Getting more inclusive, finally!
In case you were wondering, there will be 230 new emojis hitting your phone in 2019, and we've got the scoop. From more gender inclusive couples to people with disabilities, we're excited to see a lot more diversity, and let's be honest, a lot more silly. (Yes I used...
Tips & Tricks to Make Life (Way!) Easier
17 of the riskiest social apps for kids right now that parents should know about | Guide to Digital Parenting
While parents are still freaking out about Snapchat and the Momo challenge, the truth is there are some risky apps for kids that can fly right under our radar. Some of them seem completely innocuous -- while some are clearly bad news waiting to happen. To be clear,...
How do I keep kids safe on social media? | Guide to Digital Parenting
We couldn't create an Ultimate Guide to Digital Parenting without including tips about how to keep your kids safe on social media. After all, for our tweens and teens, the Internet is social media, and they could sooner give up the games, the videos, and even their...
What are the best services and tools to monitor my kids screen time? 5 top picks | Guide to Digital Parenting
As part of our Ultimate Guide to Digital Parenting, answering parents' top questions about family technology, we're sharing the best services and tools to help you monitor your kids on their gadgets. While most routers, phones, tablets and computers have basic...
The most hilarious way to organize iPhone apps that we’ve ever seen
We've seen lots of different ways to organize your iPhone apps, and well, just when we thought we'd seen the best, we discovered this iPhone app organization method from Ian Stanczyk (above). It's not necessarily the best, but certainly the funniest. Related: This...
Beautiful jewelry that could help save your life
This beautiful necklace and bracelet just looks like... a beautiful necklace and bracelet, but when you double press the back, it can actually send a message to pre-selected emergency contacts, along with your location. It can even call 911. Created by Rajia...
How to set these 5 smart Xbox One parental controls
We're all for setting some smart parental controls on our kids' tech, and there are some great parenting controls built into the Xbox One that you might not know about it. From limiting screen time to blocking other users who might be interacting inappropriately with...
Sequins meet STEM with these fun flip sequin shirts for geeky kids
My kids are still totally into the flip sequin shirts, so how fun to discover these flip sequin STEM shirts for kids at Svaha, a company that's brand new to us. If you've got kids who love science, and well STEM in general, you've got to see awesome t-shirts. Related:...
So why are we all still on Facebook again?
If we're all perfectly honest with ourselves, then we know that Facebook has presented many privacy issues for a long time now. We've been writing about Facebook privacy issues since we started Cool Mom Tech in 2010. That's nine years. NINE. A quick search of Facebook...
What you need to know about the crazy Facetime glitch. Who can see you?
If you're a frequent Facetime user, you might want to turn it off until Apple fixes a recent glitch that actually allows callers to listen and see the people they're calling, even if they don't answer. Creepy much? Related: Watch out for this Apple email phishing...
Got snow? The Snohub app can help you get rid of it.
With lots of snow falling around the country this week and temperatures at a ridiculous record-breaking low (and a bunch of snow days in our future), many of us will be finding ourselves outside shoveling and freezing our butts off in the process. That's why I wanted...
Get ready, parents! Facebook will soon integrate WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger
According to an article in the New York Times that just came out today, Mark Zuckerberg is planning to integrate WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger. That's right, over the course of 2019 and into 2020, these apps will be reconfigured in a way that would allow users to...
Grace Hopper fans! This Women in Science pin supports some very cool causes.
Thanks to the recent onslaught of amazing books and highlighting the work of women in history, particularly in the STEM field, I recognized the name Grace Hopper immediately when I saw this very cool pin from our friends at Dissent Pins. You know, the makers of that...
5 simple strategies for making your phone less distracting
We've been talking a lot about screen addiction and overuse here over the last few weeks (and well, years), including our Curb Your Screen Addiction series. Well, we recently chatted with author Jake Knapp on our Spawned podcast, who has a well of fantastic strategies...
How to set a Live photo as your iPhone’s wallpaper
I tend to be the one who schools my husband on cool iPhone tips and tricks, but this time, he's the one who schooled me when he showed me how to set a live photo as my iPhone's wallpaper. I admit, I take a bunch of live photos, but don't ever watch them animate, so...
Curb Your Screen Addiction series: Using screen time monitoring apps
This week in our Curb Your Screen Addiction series, we're talking about how screen time monitoring apps can help you rein in your phone use. If you're like me, then you found yourself quite surprised by your screen time stats when Apple updated iOS to include the...