Internet Safety

As someone who uses all Apple gadgets, including an iPhone, iPad, and my precious MacBook Air , I've had my eye on the news about the Apple security hole that was discovered on Friday. But now it seems to be affecting more applications t…

We finally decided to give our sixth grader a smart phone. And while I think the good has outweighed the bad so far, I really wasn't prepared for how complicated things would get -- and how quickly it would happen. So I can see why imple…

Eye scanning and facial recognition technology seems like something you only see in classic Schwarzzeneger and Tom Cruise movies. But with the introduction of HoyosID, at CES 2014 , going all Mission Impossible with our phones is in our …

This week, parents--and anyone else with an iota of common sense--expressed outrage over the discovery of the Barbie Plastic Surgery App , whose name was soon changed to Barbara for legal reasons. As for ethical changes? Not so much. The…

As if we haven't already learned that everything lasts for ever, even a selfie on Snapchat , another app developer is pushing boundaries with a copycat version though this one gives the user a little more control. Presumably. If you have…

If you hadn't already figure it out, we here at Cool Mom Tech are huge advocates of talking to your kids about technology early and often, and that's exactly what our Editor Kristen told the Christian Science Monitor for their cover stor…

Just a few weeks ago, we featured four apps kids are using that parents should know about , and noted that SnapChat was decreasing in popularity--which gives us a small sigh of relief. But with a brand new app release this week, we're th…

Parenting tweens and teens is challenging enough, but the prevalence of tech in most kids' lives makes it that much more important for parents to try and stay one step ahead. Where safe internet browsing was once our biggest concern, now…

Just about every day, I have a moment where I'm grateful social media wasn't around when I was a teen or pre-teen. Don't get me wrong; technology is a major positive in my life and in my kids' lives. But it's also kind of scary to think …

If you have recently upgraded to a new tablet and want to hand off the older model to your lucky kids, there are a couple safety measures we recommend you put into place to make your tablets safe for kids. Even the older models are still…

What's the best search engine for kids, in your experience? -via Twitter Keeping kids safe online should be a huge priority for parents. When it comes to kid-safe search, there are actually a lot of good options out there. Since you didn…

Is there a safe kids' browser that I can put on my iPad or phone for my son? Or do I have to just find a way to block sites on Safari somehow? Thanks! -Ellen K Ellen, we get the need for a safe kids browser for your devices! We also unde…

With all these Facebook updates coming in rapid succession, including ones to my beloved Instagram app , it can be hard to keep up with all the changes. So when we heard about the new Graph Search announced just yesterday, we had our fin…

My pre-teen wants an iPad or Kindle Fire for Christmas. Are there good Internet filters available for these devices? -Karen Hi Karen, great question! Yes, with kids bogarting our tablets and quite a few getting one for the holiday, we th…

This morning, our editor Liz Gumbinner talked to the TODAY Show about the pitfalls of SnapChat , the most popular app you've probably never heard of. But you should. Especially if you're the parent of a teen. Also known as the "sexting a…

It was kind of fun to log onto Pinterest today and see a message about the new secret boards. In case you haven't checked it out, we've got the scoop plus some fun ideas on what to do with yours. Because unfortunately, they're not unlimi…

If you've heard rumors about the FBI shutting down internet access for certain PCs this coming Monday, we hate to say it, but it's more than a rumor. But don't worry - the chances are minimal and you can take a simple steps to find out i…

Well one thing is clear about the new changes on Facebook--none of it is clear! At least according to our community, who bombarded us with questions on our Facebook page and our Cool Mom Picks Twitter account his past week, at our reques…

Are your kids on Facebook yet? Mine is 8 years old, so I'm not yet at that worry stage. But I know that by the time he's ready for it, he'll also be dealing with so many other issues in his life that I'll want to know about. (Kinda glad …

I'm not quite ready to have all those internet safety for kids discussions. I'm already preparing myself for the moment when my oldest asks if he can set up a Facebook account. Granted, he doesn't even know what Facebook is, and he's in …

As familiar as I am with Internet ads, it's easy for me to forget that my kids do not, which is especially important now that my two oldest children are using the computer on a daily basis. Not matter how tech-savvy your kids are, this a…