family safety

As much as I love social media, I'm also aware of how scary of a place it can be, whether it's dealing with annoying comment trolls or full-blown cyberbullying. That's why I'm really pleased that Facebook has listened to the concerns we'…

When we see a tech trend that could keep our families safer, it definitely gets our attention, which is why we're so intrigued by smart doorbells, with two in particular that you'll want to have on your radar. Related: 3 simple home secu…

The Tile smart tracker has been keeping us from losing our keys for years now, so color us excited about their newest product, Tile Slim , which is sized perfectly for wallets and other more streamlined items. Related: 5 outrageously coo…

Editor: This article has been updated with more current information since publication If you keep tabs on your teen on apps like Instagram and SnapChat, you're going to want to add another one to your list, parents. VSCO (pronounced vis-…

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that whenever my family heads out on a trip, we worry about the safety of our homes when we're gone. So I was intrigued by the BeON smart lightbulbs , which use clever lighting responses to prevent burgl…

Over the years, we've gotten lots of questions about when kids should get their first cell phone , which we've always answered with questions ourselves, because really, it depends on a lot of factors. How old is your child? Are they resp…

As vigilant as I am about applying (and reapplying) sunscreen on my kids and myself, it's inevitable that I missed a spot -- usually on myself -- and I'm left with a sunburn patch. But this new gadget could totally change that, and help …

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard something about Pokemon Go , the new, free app that's blowing up the Internet. In fact, it's about to take over Twitter in user activity. Seriously. We've been getting lots of…

Preventing mosquitoes is one of my big concerns, especially this summer. Not only are they annoying and itchy, they carry some serious diseases that I don't want anywhere near my family. But I don't like the idea of spraying chemicals in…

I hate to admit it, but I used to be that parent. You know the one who proclaimed her kids would never watch TV or play on a computer, and instead spend endless hours playing outside in any weather. (Torrential rainstorm? Builds characte…

We are seeing more and more DIY home security options and video monitoring systems enter the market each year, which is great news for families. While of course the video and photo capture on these devices are a huge help to police if yo…

A couple of weeks ago, our friend Heather from the Rookie Moms discovered that her babysitter had been taking photos of her kids on SnapChat and she asked her Facebook friends what they would do about this. Now before you freak about sex…

This is a sponsored message on behalf of Curbi. Whether your family added some new devices to the mix this holiday season or you've been pretty gadget-reliant in your home for a while, you'll want to check out the free trial of Curbi , w…

We're always excited to try out all the new gadgets each year and wow, what a long way we've come since Cool Mom Tech launched five years ago. Technology like pressure touch screens, the overwhelming adoption of streaming music and media…

Over the course of the year on Cool Mom Tech, we’ve put together so many helpful tech tips and tricks, many of which are answers to reader questions we get via email, over Twitter , on Facebook , and heck, even from our friends and famil…

As our houses are filling up with gifts for the holidays, it's a good time to think about home security to keep our homes safe from burglaries and just provide some extra peace of mind. Because waking up Christmas morning to no presents …

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 curio…

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'…

As the days start to get shorter (sob) and we realize some of us will soon be heading home from work or walking around a college campus in the dark at just 5PM, it's nice to know that walking home alone just got a lot less nerve-wracking…

Unless you are a parent who just doesn't use a cell phone yourself -- which, huh? -- we guarantee your kids will be begging pretty much by the time they get to kindergarten, and see one classmate who already has one. We don't entirely th…

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 You…

One of our top family tech picks from CES this year was Triby , the wireless hands-free speaker phone that helps keep the whole family in touch, even without a landline. The preview got us giddy for the technology to come for those of us…

Like we always say, the safest way to use your phone while driving is to not use your phone while drivin g. Duh, right? And it's something that's really top of mind for us this holiday weekend, when cops are out on the roads full force, …

With an estimated 37 million Americans hitting the road on the Memorial Day holiday alone, it's going to be the biggest travel weekend in a decade. Clearly, after enduring a long, miserable winter, folks are super hyped for the (unoffici…