The widespread teenage boy sextortion scam: What to do if your child is a victim

by Liz Gumbinner | Internet Safety, Tips and Tricks

This week’s Washington Post article about the teenage boy sextortion scam by Chris Moody is all I’ve been thinking about. In part because I know a kid who was targeted in this way, and it was a terrible situation. But to learn that this is a problem...

Here’s my beef with Snapchat for kids. And it might surprise you.

by Kristen Chase | Social Media

Over the years, we’ve shared our concerns with kids on Snapchat, which aren’t really that surprising. We all know that it’s terribly difficult to monitor. And we’ve seen our kids deal with the difficult issues that arise with Snap Maps. But...

Digital parenting question: Should I let my child on Snapchat because all of her friends are?

by Kristen Chase | Tips and Tricks

This past week, my 11-year old daughter and I had a long conversation about Snapchat. She’s been begging me for awhile now, but lately, it’s amped up because pretty much all her friends use it exclusively to communicate. I’ve been very resistant to...

17 of the riskiest social apps for kids right now that parents should know about | Guide to Digital Parenting

by Cool Mom Team | Best Apps, Internet Safety, Tips and Tricks

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...

How do I keep kids safe on social media? | Guide to Digital Parenting

by Cool Mom Team | Internet Safety, Social Media, Tips and Tricks

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...

Screen time and social media with kids: We might be doing it wrong, parents

by Kristen Chase | Tips and Tricks

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,...

Our top 10 most popular Cool Mom Tech posts of 2018. Happy New Year!

by Cool Mom Team | Tips and Tricks

From questionable Snapchat stories to gadgets that make our lives easier, we rounded up our top 10 most popular Cool Mom Tech posts of 2018. Happy New Year! Related: Our 10 most popular posts of 2017 10. How to figure out which categories Facebook has assigned to...

A new study says teens feel social media has an positive impact on their lives

by Kristen Chase | Social Media

Our friends over at Common Sense Media recently conducted a survey study of teens 13-17 years old, and we have to admit that the results are fascinating, and well, reassuring. If you have a tween or teen, it’s worth taking the few minutes to read their summary,...

What you need to know about Cosmo After Dark on Snapchat, parents.

by Kristen Chase | Best Apps

I am not going to say “I told you so!” when it comes to Snapchat, but it’s mighty tempting after the recent launch of Cosmopolitan’s new Cosmo After Dark stories that go live every Friday at 6pm EDT. And hey, I even wrote a book about sex for...

7 cool ways Crayola is going STEM in 2018.

by Ellyn Exley Dvorkin | Tech Toys

We’re always excited to see what new and exciting goodies Crayola is launching, which is why they’re one of our first stops at Toy Fair every year. And lucky us, we got a sneak peek their brand new and upcoming releases to share with you, lots of which...