tips and tricks Archives | Page 8 of 45

What you need to know about YouTube’s pedophile problem

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...

5 simple strategies for making your phone less distracting

by Kristen Chase | Tips and Tricks

We’ve been talking a lot about screen addiction and overuse here over the last few weeks (and well, years), including our Curb Your Screen Addiction series. Well, we recently chatted with author Jake Knapp on our Spawned podcast, who has a well of fantastic...

How to set a Live photo as your iPhone’s wallpaper

by Kristen Chase | Tips and Tricks

I tend to be the one who schools my husband on cool iPhone tips and tricks, but this time, he’s the one who schooled me when he showed me how to set a live photo as my iPhone’s wallpaper. I admit, I take a bunch of live photos, but don’t ever watch...

Our Alexa organization series: The best Alexa calendar skills

by Kate Etue | Productivity Apps

Next up in our Alexa Organization Series, we’re sharing some of our favorite Alexa calendar skills to help you keep your family organized. Whether you want to add events to a joint calendar, keep up with a shared to-do list, or just make sure you do not miss the next...

Our Alexa organization series: The best Alexa fitness skills

by Kate Etue | Lifestyle Apps

We’re getting organized in the new year, and I’ve found that using my Amazon Echo — which is strategically placed in our kitchen, the hub of our house — can be a huge help, including fitness. Yes, we’re not kidding. In this post, some of...

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.