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 hopi…

In a recent New York Times article , one of our favorite organizational apps Unroll.me was mentioned as selling user data (specifically emails with Lyft receipts) to Uber, and not surprisingly people are worried, including us. We've been…

If you think spying and snooping on your kids' social media behavior will help keep them safer, a new study in the Journal of Adolescence actually suggests otherwise, this recent post on Well Family discusses. In a survey of 455 adolesce…

Phishing cons are getting increasingly sophisticated, as even my tech-savvy boyfriend and I did a double take at this Netflix phishing email -- before realizing it was complete crap. The goal, as with most phishing emails: To get you to …

With the recent CloudPets hack , and others like it (remember Hello Barbie ?), it's becoming clearer that smart toys, particularly the stuffed animal kind, could pose a privacy risk that parents should know about. Don't get us wrong, we …

We've found that managing screen time is one of the most common across-the-board challenges parents in this digital age face. And hey, with six kids between us, we understand how difficult it can be, especially when just going gadget-fre…

You might have heard about the app Roblox , a multi-player Minecraft alternative that's making the news because kids are unknowingly chatting with adult strangers. And getting propositioned. Just read what sort of chats this dad discover…

Whether your kids are with a full-time nanny or you just use a babysitter (or grandparent) for an occasional date night, creating a social media policy is an important consideration. It could be a formal written contract, or just a short…

As much as we love the Internet, and the helpful information it makes available to us, there are definitely some downsides, like the Family Tree Now site which aggregates all your personal info, including addresses, relatives, possible a…

Online privacy is becoming harder and harder to wrangle. Remember Spokeo ? Well, recently there's been a ton of buzz about a newish site called Family Tree Now . It's been around for a couple years, but within the last 24 hours I have he…

We share a lot about Internet privacy and talking to kids about web safety here on Cool Mom Tech, because we're parents too, and let's just say parenting in the digital age is no easy feat. Sometimes, it can be downright scary. That's wh…

This is a sponsored message from KidGuard Even the most vigilant parents can have a hard time keeping track of their child's online activity, which is why so many are looking to KidGuard for help to ensure they're safe and making good di…

This is a sponsored message from SudoPay If you love shopping online but don't love the idea of giving out your credit card number and personal information for every purchase, then SudoPay might just be exactly what you've been looking f…

Now that my son has a phone, as do all his friends, it's a whole new world of parenting. For now, he is content texting his friends yo, bruh, what's up and watching sports clips, but there will soon be a time when social networks come mo…

I'm sure I'm not the only one who always finds it a little disconcerting when an item I was shopping for on the web pops up as a Facebook ad. Well, get ready to see more of that on Google, unless you opt-out of their new privacy policy. …

As much as I love social media, I'm also aware of how scary of a place it can be, whether it's dealing with annoying comment trolls or full-blown cyberbullying. That's why I'm really pleased that Facebook has listened to the concerns we'…

A few years ago, we warned parents about Whisper , a free app that allows users to post about anything and everything anonymously, then connect in groups based on interests and location. But recently, a Denver teen was lured by a sex off…

If you've ever read a comment thread online, then you know that in many cases, it can be a pretty awful place. So, we're pleased to hear that Instagram took a huge step in changing that, at least on their app, anyway. Related: How to man…

Editor: This article has been updated with more current information since publication If you keep tabs on your teen on apps like Instagram and SnapChat, you're going to want to add another one to your list, parents. VSCO (pronounced vis-…

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard something about Pokemon Go , the new, free app that's blowing up the Internet. In fact, it's about to take over Twitter in user activity. Seriously. We've been getting lots of…

This week I got a scam email claiming to be an invoice from my iTunes account on Apple. Luckily, a few things tipped me off that this wasn't legit, so I contacted Apple about it and saved myself the tremendous hassle of having to change …

I hate to admit it, but I used to be that parent. You know the one who proclaimed her kids would never watch TV or play on a computer, and instead spend endless hours playing outside in any weather. (Torrential rainstorm? Builds characte…

Parents are always asking us how to monitor the safety of their kids online. Combine that with social media, and it can be really overwhelming for parents to know how to educate their kids while still keeping track of their activity. And…

A couple of weeks ago, our friend Heather from the Rookie Moms discovered that her babysitter had been taking photos of her kids on SnapChat and she asked her Facebook friends what they would do about this. Now before you freak about sex…