tips and tricks Archives | Page 7 of 45

What are the best screen time management strategies that work for parents? 5 that work. | Guide to Digital Parenting

by Cool Mom Staff | Best Apps, Guide to Digital Parenting, Tips and Tricks

Next up in our Ultimate Guide to Digital Parenting, we tackle one of the biggest challenges parents face each day: screen time management. We know full well how hard it can be to decide how much is the right amount of time for our kids, especially as they get older....

What’s the best way to set screen time rules at home? 5 simple methods | Guide to Digital Parenting

by Cool Mom Staff | Guide to Digital Parenting, Internet Safety, Tips and Tricks

As part of our Ultimate Guide to Digital Parenting, we know that a top question from parents is the best way to set screen time rules when we’re at home. And we’ve got so many helpful approaches for you! Because bringing gadgets into your family’s...

Here’s what I learned after letting my tween daughter use TikTok (formerly Musical.ly)

by Kristen Chase | Fun Apps

Feeling inspired by Jordan Shapiro’s interview on NPR with our former Spawned guest Anya Kamanetz, and reading his book for our upcoming interview with him on Spawned, I decided to let my tween daughter give TikTok (formerly Musical.ly) a try. I’ve decided...

Is YouTube Kids really safe? These videos will probably make you say “no.”

by Kristen Chase | Social Media

It’s been a rough couple of weeks for YouTube, first with the news about their growing pedophile problem. And now, YouTube Kids is under fire. We know lots of parents, including us, have found a little sigh of relief letting kids watch videos on YouTube Kids,...

What you need to know about YouTube’s pedophile problem

by Kristen Chase | Social Media

Over the years, we’ve written about many issues that parents need to be aware of when it comes to the content on YouTube. But this recent report from Wired should really throw the huge red flag of caution up for parents, particularly if you have kids posting...

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,...

You can now unsend messages on Facebook Messenger. This is not a drill.

by Kristen Chase | Social Media

If you’re still using Facebook and Facebook Messenger, then you might have missed some big news that makes life a little bit better: you can now unsend messages on Facebook Messenger. Hey, it only took 10 months, and wasn’t even a thing until it was made...

How to set these 5 smart Xbox One parental controls

by Kate Etue | Games + Gaming

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...

What you need to know about the crazy Facetime glitch. Who can see you?

by Kristen Chase | Tips and Tricks

If you’re a frequent Facetime user, you might want to turn it off until Apple fixes a recent glitch that actually allows callers to listen and see the people they’re calling, even if they don’t answer. Creepy much? Related: Watch out for this Apple...

NEW: The podcast that helps you be a savvier digital parent in under 15 minutes a week

Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz

Kristen Chase + Liz Gumbinner of Cool Mom Picks

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.