tweens + big kids

With back-to-school here, or just around the corner for some of us, I like to take the time to have reinforce some basic tech rules with my kids and have some important tech conversations before things get super hectic. Whether your kids…

We know many so many families who love online gaming for its temporary escape into cool unique realms and the connection with others who love to play as much as we do. But sometimes real-world problems can follow us into our online games…

I know firsthand how hard it is to decide when is the best age for kids to have their own cell phone . On one hand, we want them to be able to reach us if soccer practice gets out early or they want to leave a sleepover at 1am, but expos…

If you need help for kids with anxiety, I am so grateful for these terrific mindfulness podcasts for kids. We all know that unfortunately, anxiety is on the rise for lots of children, including my own . Maybe you're trying to help a chil…

We know shopping for the best tech gifts for teens can be pretty challenging, but in our experience, tech is pretty much always a hit -- provided it's age appropriate. And we've got that down! For more than 10 years now, we've been in on…

We've spent the past several years evaluating the best headphones for students for remote learning, and while kids are back in school, one of the residual effects has been more online learning (and social!) opportunities. Whether kids ar…

With all the social and humanitarian crises we are facing as a nation, it's more important than ever that the next generation is activated toward making a difference. The children are our future, right? Well, here's one way that's happen…

I'm among millions of parents all over the country concerned about widespread efforts to ban "controversial" books in our public libraries. Especially when the lists include some of our favorite books , and plenty of them are not "contro…

We've officially hit the point of full Apple product saturation in our household -- and as so many parents in our Out Tech Your Kids community tell us, they have too. So what do you do when you're all basically on Apple devices, your kid…

We love when parents ask us "how do I know if my kid is ready for a cell phone?" It means you're conscientious, caring, and involved -- and of course, want to make sure that you're raising a kid to make good choices, and not who isn't th…

If you've ever said, "Alexa, play When the Party's Over " then you'll be thrilled that Amazon has just announced the launch of the Billie Eilish special edition Amazon Echo Studio and it's pretty darn cool if you're a super-fan. Remember…

When your teen takes the time to text you the news about InnerSloth's official Among Us costume for Halloween this year, you know that the party game that got millions of kids through the worst of the pandemic last year is only growing i…

As a former homeschooling parent, I am a huge fan of math apps for middle school -- and for tweens and teens whatever their grade level. I used to say that I was okay teaching math until around 3rd or 4th grade, and then I needed some he…

In our Out Tech Your Kids group on Facebook, a parent recently asked for recommendations for great news podcasts for kids. Our readers replied with some really good suggestions, so we wanted to round them up for you...and add a few more …

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...b…

Has anyone else's teens struggled with interrupted sleep since the pandemic? My kids' slower social lives and reduction in extracurricular activities certainly plays a part, but turning to tech to connect with friends is making an impact…

Let's take a minute to applaud our teens who've been willing to quarantine this year. It's been brutal to lose so many activities they love, and they've handled it with flexibility and (mostly) good attitudes! While we'd hoped we'd be "b…

With school going online this fall, we're starting a whole new phase of parent-sanctioned screen time at my house, which is why I've been on the hunt for blue light glasses for kids. The jury's still out concerning exactly how much these…

Okay, so plenty of us gave up on the same screen time limits we had pre-Covid. But that's not to say we don't still have screen time fights with the kids. Or uh...arguments? Debates? Gentle disagreements? If you're looking to cut back on…

Kids are pretty darn smart, but we can be smarter, parents! On this week's Out-Tech Your Kids podcast , we're talking about the ways kids can circumvent parental controls so you can be prepared, thanks to the members of our Out-Tech Your…

We've always said that all screen time is not created equal! And on this week's Out-Tech Your Kids podcast , we're talking about the benefits of social media for kids. Social media tends to get a bad rap -- let alone specific channels li…

"Don't read the comments" isn't going to fly when your kids are old enough to watch YouTube videos without you around, let alone managing their own TikTok accounts. But learning how to be a responsible commenter is a skill that comes in …

We're always amazed and impressed by the imaginative ideas kids can come up with when you give them a simple problem to solve. Just think of how many times your smartypants kids have gotten their siblings to do their chores. Or, figured …

When you think "voracious reader of the classics" you don't generally think at the same time "..and big game, toor!" And yet, that's how I feel every time I open up Dear Reader. Free with Apple Arcade , this fun, quippy, clever, and fair…