child safety Archives | Cool Mom Tech

5 important tech conversations to have with your kids as they head back to school

With back-to-school here, or just around the corner for some of us, I like to take the time to have reinforce some basic tech rules with my kids and have some important tech conversations before things get super hectic. Whether your kids have their own phones or not,...

Kids asking for a phone? Here are 5 reasons you should consider the new Teracube Thrive phone for kids.

by Christina Refford | Gear + Hardware, Kids

I know firsthand how hard it is to decide when is the best age for kids to have their own cell phone. On one hand, we want them to be able to reach us if soccer practice gets out early or they want to leave a sleepover at 1am, but exposing them to the potential...

Should your kids be using BeReal, the hot new social media app? What parents should know.

by Christina Refford | Best Apps, Internet Safety, Social Media

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...

This baby monitor has features that make you go, “whoa…how do they do that?”

by Cool Mom Staff | Babies, Gear + Hardware, Kids

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)...

These smart tips and apps can help minimize distracted teen driving

by Kate Etue | Best Apps

We recently got a question in our Out Tech Your Kids group asking about apps that read texts out loud while you drive, which got me started thinking about some tips and apps to help minimize distracted driving for teens. As parents, we need to think bigger than just...

What parents need to know about YouTube’s new parental controls for tweens and teens

by Kate Etue | Tips and Tricks

Parents of tweens and teens, we’ve got good news! YouTube is launching new parental controls specifically for kids in this age group. What a relief to those of us who see the value in letting them watch some of the content on YouTube…but who are exhausted...

Online learning this fall? Check out these 5 cool blue light glasses brands for kids

by Caroline Siegrist | Fashion + Accessories

With school going online this fall, we’re starting a whole new phase of parent-sanctioned screen time at my house, which is why I’ve been on the hunt for blue light glasses for kids. The jury’s still out concerning exactly how much these glasses...

Zoom alternatives for schools: 7 video conferencing options until Zoom fixes…some stuff

by Liz Gumbinner | Best Apps, Internet Safety, Kids

With the news last week that Zoom had some big security concerns to patch up, educators of all kinds started seeking out Zoom alternatives for schools and other kinds of remote learning. Especially after the NYC DOE took the big step of forbidding NYC public schools...

The 20-20-20 rule, and why you (and your eyes) need to know about it

by Kristen Chase | Tips and Tricks

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),...

The new parental controls on the latest iOS 13.3 update are what you might have been waiting for.

by Liz Gumbinner | Best Apps, Internet Safety

If you’ve got a kid on an iPhone or an iPad, this week’s iOS 13.3 update (as well as iPad OS 13.3)has some serious parental controls that we think you’ll be happy to know about. Introducing Communication Limits Starting his week, there’s a new...