YouTube Archives | Cool Mom Tech

What parents need to know about YouTube’s new parental controls for tweens and teens

Parents of tweens and teens, we’ve got good news! YouTube is launching new parental controls specifically for kids in this age group. What a relief to those of us who see the value in letting them watch some of the content on YouTube…but who are exhausted...

8 fantastic educational resources for online learning, just in case you need them, parents.

by Kristen Chase | Video

Last week, our school district cancelled school on Friday due to possible COVID-19 exposure. And this week on Tuesday, my youngest daughter had off school. Whether or not we will see more cancellations in the future is unknown at this time (sorry, no crystal ball,...

The top 10 Cool Mom Tech posts of 2019

by Cool Mom Staff | Link Roundups

We’re going into our 10th year of Cool Mom Tech and our 2nd year of our Out Tech Your Kids Facebook group that’s almost at 4500 members! We know, we can’t believe it either. Every year, we share our 10 most visited posts on Cool Mom Tech. From tech...

4 awesome YouTube alternatives for kids of all ages

by Kate Etue | Fun Apps for Kids

With all the not-so-great news coming out around YouTube recently — from their pedophilia problem to the horrific content spliced into kids’ videos to the infamous Momo challenge — I’ve been looking for some YouTube alternatives. From now on,...

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,...

This package thief versus glitter bomb video is the best thing ever.

by Kristen Chase | Entertainment

I saw this YouTuber’s glitter bomb video going around Facebook yesterday and somehow avoided clicking on it until today. Well, let’s just say I’m glad I did because it was well worth the 10 minutes I spent watching the whole entire thing. YouTuber...

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.