In defense of teens with headphones
This morning my teen daughter lost her earbuds. “Did you shove them in your front backpack pocket?” I asked her. “No!” she snapped, then barked “Just pick me up before study hall!” as she stormed off into the open doors of the bus....
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...
How do I know when my child is ready for a smartphone: 7 essential questions to ask | Guide to Digital Parenting
We can’t tell you how much debate we’ve seen over the simple question, “when is my kid ready for a smartphone?” It brings out nearly as much stress, passion and well, sanctimony, as questions about breastfeeding or sleep training. Well, after...
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...
Why the notOK app is crucial for teens (and adults) struggling with depression
Have you ever typed up a message to a friend, asking them to send some good vibes your way because you’re really struggling at the moment, only to delete it before sending? (Hand raised!) I don’t know if it’s the fear of vulnerability that holds me...
What parents need to know about the new Amazon Teen shopping program
Perhaps you’ve heard about the Amazon Teen shopping program, in which parents can set up an Amazon login for your teens to shop on their own. It includes lots of safeguards to make sure kids don’t spend more than you want them to, but is it a good idea? Or...
Are the video games your kids love safe for them? We can help.
If you thought your kids tech-savvy as toddlers, it’s amazing to see how quickly they pick up video games when they get a little older. They know what’s hot and what’s not faster than Mario with a super star power-up. Turns out there are tons of...
The new parental controls and screen time management tools coming to iOS 12. THANK YOU, APPLE.
No judgments, parents — we too have admitted (often) that it can be hard to manage kids’ screen time, especially when our kids get older and we’re not attached at the hip. Well Apple gets it too, and in today’s big iOS 12 announcement,...
Web coolness: Violent video games don’t create violent kids, Best Buy spies for the FBI, and more.
Here are some of our favorite tech links from around the web. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did. There’s so much talk about violent video games (again), but the research is in: science shows violent video games do not cause kids to be violent. Worth a...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.
Our Podcast. (It’s won awards and everything!)
Parents have questions, we have answers
NEW For 2019!
No More Mean Girls, by Katie Hurley
The Yes Brain, by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson
How to Break Up with Your Phone, by Christine Price
The New Childhood, by Jordan Shapiro
How to Be a Happier Parent by KJ Dell'Antonia
Raising Empowered Daughters by Mike Adamick
Radical Kindness by Angela Santomero
“We just had our first instance of one of our kids lying about a social media account. Any advice is appreciated on how to handle this in as positive a way.”
So they want to get a smartphone…
Work with us!
