The best cameras for summer camp to keep kids offline and in the moment

by Liz Gumbinner | Kids, Photography

I am extremely familiar with the current trend of summer camps requiring campers to have cameras that don’t rely on phones, tablets, or internet connection. And I absolutely support the idea of giving kids a break from screens when they head off to sleepaway...

11 of the best reading apps for kids in high school and middle school. Including test prep! | Back to School Tech

by Christina Refford | Back to School Tech, Best Apps, Educational Apps

Sometimes we think of reading apps as being for little kids, but reading apps for kids in high school and middle school can be extremely helpful. Whether your kids are voracious readers or a bit more reluctant to get lost in a book when there are new video game levels...

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

by Kristen Chase | Tips and Tricks

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 | Kids, Gear + Hardware

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...

21 cool tech stocking stuffers: Creative ideas that aren’t “AAA batteries” | Tech Holiday Gifts

by Christina Refford | Holiday Tech Gifts, Holiday Picks

We always have the best time looking for cool tech stocking stuffers that go beyond the usual. And by usual, I mean batteries. Whether you’re just kicking off your holiday shopping by going through our gift guides or almost wrapping things up after a marathon...

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

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

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...

18 of the best tech gifts for teens — according to actual teens

by Liz Gumbinner | Holiday Tech Gifts, Games + Gaming, Holiday Picks, Tech Toys

We know shopping for the best tech gifts for teens can be pretty challenging, but in our experience, tech is pretty much always a hit — provided it’s age appropriate. And we’ve got that down! For more than 10 years now, we’ve been in on the...

Our guide to the best headphones for students, from kids to teens | Back to School Guide

by Liz Gumbinner | Back to School Tech, Babies, Kids

We’ve spent the past several years evaluating the best headphones for students for remote learning, and while kids are back in school, one of the residual effects has been more online learning (and social!) opportunities. Whether kids are doing virtual live...

Will Meta’s new parental controls keep teens safer on Instagram and Quest? We have thoughts.

by Christina Refford | Internet Safety, Games + Gaming, Social Media, Tips and Tricks

Recently, Meta announced it would be launching new parental safety controls for teens in the form of tools and resources for both the Instagram social media app and their Meta Quest VR gaming headsets. The goal is to help parents better manage what our teens are...

Standing up to book bans, The Brooklyn Public Library is letting all teens access their online catalogue, free

by Caroline Siegrist | Educational Apps, Causes and Giving Back, Tips and Tricks

I’m among millions of parents all over the country concerned about widespread efforts to ban “controversial” books in our public libraries. Especially when the lists include some of our favorite books, and plenty of them are not...