All posts by Cory
How to set up your kid’s first smartphone
So, the time has finally come to set up your tween or teen’s first smartphone. Maybe they’ve been hounding you for months or years, and you are finally trading in that dorky flip phone for something with an actual screen and real apps. Gulp! This is one of those moments that gives us, as digital […]
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Big Tech has crossed a line, and that’s good news for parents and kids
Remember Joe Camel? In the 90s, the cartoonish character was the face of Camel cigarettes. It was a blatant campaign to market tobacco products to a young population, which the industry dubbed “replacement smokers.” And though these questionable marketing tactics had been used for decades, the use of Joe seems to be the straw that…well, […]
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What Red Riding Hood teaches about online predators
When the first storytellers began weaving the tale of what would become Little Red Riding Hood, as early as the 10th century, they certainly had no idea what online predators were. Neither did the Brothers Grimm as they put the story down on paper in the 1800s. Nor did Stephen Sondheim and his team when […]
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5 TED Talks to help with digital parenting
I’ve been a sucker for TED Talks ever since they started publishing them online. I’ve found some of them particularly valuable in parenting members of a digital generation. TED (Technology, Education, and Design) is an organization dedicated to “ideas worth spreading.” Through a series of international conferences and inspired local gatherings (called TEDx events), organizers […]
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18 fun family activity ideas combining technology and family time
Ironically, if you search online for family activity ideas, you’ll find a ton of ideas about how to “unplug” and have “tech-free family time”. But don’t we already know how to do that? Is that what most of us have grown up with? Sure, we might need reminders in our busy digital lives: Play a […]
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Parents have good reasons to ban phones from bedrooms
As parents, we spend a huge chunk of our lives trying to protect our kids. We put bumpers on the corners of the fireplace when they start toddling. We keep a watchful eye when they are playing on the playground. We send worry-filled notes to teachers expressing concern for our child’s social or academic welfare. […]
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Facebook launches new Messenger Kids, but is it a good idea?
Facebook recently (and rather quietly) rolled out Messenger Kids to a U.S. audience. The new app, which appeared in our own Facebook app on our iPhones, is targeted to 6-12 year olds. Not surprisingly, it’s created quite a stir among parents and internet experts. The big question: Should I let my child use it? How […]
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7 considerations when buying tech gifts for your child
It’s that time of year again. Your child has latched onto the dream of owning their very own fill-in-the-blank-device, and they’ve begun their campaign to convince you that they neeeed one or they will be the laughing stock of all their friends. Suddenly, these beautiful children that you brought into the world, who can’t put […]
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What parents should know about anonymous apps
The rise of anonymous apps reminds us that kids today are just like we were: there are some things we want to keep from our parents. Before smartphones, kids used to write their private thoughts in diaries (remember those?) and they’d be mortified if anyone read their secrets. Now, they can share them with total […]
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What is digital citizenship? A parent’s guide
Citizenship describes the character of a member of a society, and how they behave and function in that society as well as how well they carry out their duties and obligations. When we apply that concept to the world of texts, emails, messages, photo sharing, live video, social media, and all other forms of living […]
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