tweens + big kids Archives | Page 5 of 29

The new Girl Scout STEM badges: Engineering, computer science, and robotics, oh my!

When I was a drop-out Brownie some 30-ahem years ago, my troop worked on badges like Basketry and Arts & Crafts. But now I’m kind of wishing I could go back and do it all over again because this fall, the Girl Scout organization has announced a new...

6 things that happened when I banned screen time in my home for two months

by Kristen Chase | Tips and Tricks

If you’re like me, then you do your best to manage screen time using myriad methods. In our house, I’ve done The Marble Jar to read for screens, and pretty much everything in between. And still, there are tantrums and arguments when it’s time to get...

The top-rated gaming headsets for teens in price ranges to suit every allowance

by Kate Etue | Games + Gaming

Forget Snapchat, Facebook, or even Instagram. Teens these days are often connecting with friends online by gaming together on their Xboxes and I find the key to good communication for them is a great gaming headset for teens. So my almost-teen son has spent a ton of...

Sign your kids up for free Apple camp sessions this summer – if you hurry!

by Ellyn Exley Dvorkin | Entertainment

For this futuristic tech savvy generation that we are responsible for raising, Apple is coming through big time with Apple Camp, a series of brand new free camps for kids to help us help them expand their knowledge and excitement for technology beyond Snapchat. Yep,...

Tech trick: How to hide app purchases so your kids can’t download through Family Sharing.

by Liz Gumbinner | Tips and Tricks

I’m grateful to my daughter who (much to the chagrin of tweens and teens everywhere, I’m sure) tipped me off to a trick I wasn’t aware of: Kids can easily download new apps to their devices without your knowledge, if you have Apple Family Sharing in...

Instagram’s new Archive feature lets you hide photos, rather than delete them. Brilliant!

by Kristen Chase | Social Media

We’ve probably all had photos we’ve shared on social media that we would very happily forget, like say my lovely “before” shot I took when I was starting a workout regimen a few months after having a baby that now pops up every single time I...

New study about kids’ online behavior might surprise you, parents. And not in a good way.

by Kristen Chase | Internet Safety

A recent survey of more than 1600 U.K. kids revealed some fascinating results when it comes to kids’ online behavior, leading the UK’s National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) to make some pretty strong recommendations for parents....

The deadly Blue Whale online suicide game targeting teens: Is it a hoax? What parents should know.

by Liz Gumbinner | Internet Safety

We all issued a collective gasp around here this week, reading about the online game called Blue Whale, A.K.A. The Suicide Game. And of course right away I was hoping it was a big hoax. When I checked out the details, I was kind of hoping it was some awful...

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.