5 ways smart kids circumvent parental controls | Out-Tech Your Kids Ep 5

by Cool Mom Team | Out-Tech Your Kids podcast, Tips and Tricks

Kids are pretty darn smart, but we can be smarter, parents! On this week’s Out-Tech Your Kids podcast, we’re talking about the ways kids can circumvent parental controls so you can be prepared, thanks to the members of our Out-Tech Your Kids Facebook group...

5 benefits of kids and social media. Yes, benefits! | Out-Tech Your Kids Ep 4

by Liz Gumbinner | Out-Tech Your Kids podcast, Social Media, Tips and Tricks

We’ve always said that all screen time is not created equal! And on this week’s Out-Tech Your Kids podcast, we’re talking about the benefits of social media for kids. Social media tends to get a bad rap — let alone specific channels like TikTok...

How do we teach our kids to make good commenting choices? | Episode 2 Out-Tech Your Kids

by Liz Gumbinner | Out-Tech Your Kids podcast, Social Media, Tips and Tricks

“Don’t read the comments” isn’t going to fly when your kids are old enough to watch YouTube videos without you around, let alone managing their own TikTok accounts. But learning how to be a responsible commenter is a skill that comes in handy...

Here’s how to make that Facebook Avatar that looks nothing like you.

by Kristen Chase | Tips and Tricks

If you’re like me, then your Facebook feed has been filled with everyone’s new Facebook avatar. It’s also been filled with people saying how they look nothing like them. And I have to be honest, I totally agree. So of course, I had to give it a try...

How to practice safe socializing using tech during the Coronavirus outbreak

by Christina Refford | Tips and Tricks

It’s ironic that I chose the word “connect” as my 2020 word, just to find myself practicing “social distancing” three months into the year. Suddenly, instead of looking forward to coffee shop meetups, long chummy walks, and dinners with...

JIF vs GIF: How the peanut butter is trying to end the pronunciation debate for once and for all.

by Liz Gumbinner | Social Media

There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who pronounce GIF with a hard “G” as in GRAPHIC…and those who are wrong. (And yes, I know that GIF creator Steve Wilhite pronounces it with a soft J, but unless the acronym now stands for Jurrasic...

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...

How to hide your Instagram Story from users. Psst: If you can do it, your kids can do it too.

by Kristen Chase | Tips and Tricks

A few months ago, we shared how to set up the Close Friends feature on Instagram, just in case you’ve got your kids (and their friends) following you and wanted to share something that they couldn’t see. Of course, whenever you do that, then you can pretty much assume...

Here’s how Facebook is stalking you. And what you can do about it.

by Kristen Chase | Social Media

If you’re like me, you’ve had a few instances where you know you didn’t search for a particular product or service on your phone or your computer, but suddenly you’re getting ads for it in your Facebook feed. Is Facebook listening into your...

Instagram trick: How to find all those cool Instagram Story filters everyone else seems to have.

by Liz Gumbinner | Best Apps, Social Media

We used to say “photos or it didn’t happen,” but it feels like 2020 is all about  “filters or it isn’t Instagram.” You may have noticed folks you follow using wacky filters — or oddly flattering filters that bathe them in a...