Every year I’m asked to speak to our school PTA about digital safety. Teaching digital safety to kids isn’t easy, especially when cell phones, laptops, and tablets provide convenience and connectivity that we need. We want our kids to be connected to us through their cell phones if they need us but that also means…
Common Sense Media
3 Ways to Support Teen Technology Use and Mental Health
This post is sponsored by the Center for Parent & Teen Communication Throughout the pandemic we’ve relied on technology for school, work, and socializing. The increase in technology use has created concerns about our teen’s mental health, physical well-being, and social skills. I’ve heard parents contemplating a summer digital detox but there are better ways…
Tweens, Teens & Phones: What Common Sense Media’s 2019 Research Reveals
A lot has changed about technology since I started this blog in 2008. The first iPhone launched in the summer of 2007, giving owners of the iPhone 3G access to 500 apps although the App Store didn’t open until July 10, 2008. Twitter and Facebook hadn’t become part of mainstream culture, let alone the source…
Why You Probably Shouldn’t Take That Facebook Quiz
By Common Sense Media What kind of pizza are you? What does the kind of pet you have say about your personality? Which U.S. city is your perfect fit? Quizzes like these are all over Facebook and other social networks. For kids, online personality tests are as compelling as the Hogwarts Sorting Hat: They define…
20 Books with LGBTQ Characters for Kids Celebrating Pride Month
By Common Sense Media Looking for a way to celebrate and honor Pride Month with your young kid? From books with main characters who are LGBTQ or still figuring out their sexual orientations to stories of straight kids or teens with gay friends or parents, these books portray many aspects of the LGBTQ experience for…
Common Sense Media: Trusted Source for Honest Movie Reviews (w. Gnomeo & Juliet giveaway)
Touchstone Pictures’ Gnomeo & Juliet opens tomorrow and while we weren’t privy to a preview, I’ve been anticipating the review on Common Sense Media to determine the movie’s appropriateness for our family. The movie’s preview made our entire family laugh but the brief clip and description are never enough information which is why Common Sense…
