Recommendations by Common Sense Media® -

5 Signs Your Kid Has a Healthy Relationship with Screens

Concerned about your kid’s digital life? Here are five signs that they have a healthy relationship with screens.

4 Safe and Smart Online Search Tips for Kids

When doing homework or looking for fun stuff, it’s easy for kids to stumble on iffy content. Discover four ways to help your kid search safely online.

5 Ways to Stop Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is something most families hope they never have to deal with. But if your kids are texting, sharing photos, and posting comments, it’s important to talk to them about how to deal with online harassment. Learn 5 ways to

4 Ways to Help Teens Avoid Digital Harassment

What is Digital Harassment? It’s a form of harassment that happens through texts, instant messages, emails, and social media posts. The goal is to keep tabs on or threaten someone else. It usually involves two people in a close relationship.

5 Tips for Dealing with Haters and Trolls

What is a Hater? What is a Troll? Haters and Trolls are people who go online, often anonymously, and write mean comments, sometimes with the goal of getting a response. Chances are if your kids are online, they will encounter

5 Social Media Rules for Teens & Tweens

Social Media is a way of life for many teens, and even some tweens. Here are 5 rules to share with your kids before they start posting, uploading or sharing online.

3 Cool Tools to Help Manage Screen Time

Looking for ways to reduce time spent on tablets, phones and computers? Here are 3 cool tools to help tweens, teens, and even adults, manage their screen time.

3 TV-Watching Tips for Toddlers

Trying to figure out how to manage screen time when it comes to your little ones? Here are three TV-watching tips for toddlers.

5 Easy Screen Time Tips for Young Kids

Looking for ways to manage your kid’s device use? Discover five easy screen time tips.

7 Ways to Get the Best out of Preschool Apps

Lots of apps claim to promote learning. But how can you make sure your kids are benefiting from apps? Here are seven ways to get the best out of preschool apps.

How to Pick the Right Scary Movie for Kids of Every Age

Scary movies can be fun, but finding the right one for your kid is not always easy. Here are tips for navigating all the chills and thrills on your next family movie night.

5 Internet Safety Tips for Kids

Sharing photos, posting comments, playing video games — these are just a few of the ways that kids interact online, but sometimes there are risks. Learn five ways to keep your kids safe on the internet.

4 Essential Tips for Your Young YouTuber

So your kid wants to set up a YouTube channel. Now what? Here are four tips to keep your young YouTuber safe.

6 Ways to Keep VR Safe and Fun for Kids

Virtual reality games can be more intense than regular games, especially for young gamers. Here are six ways to keep VR safe — and fun — for kids.

5 Ways to Deal with Hate Speech Online

Hate speech is all over the internet. Cruelty against a religion, ethnicity, sexual identity, or race has reached a fever pitch and often finds its way into kids’ lives. Here are some tips to help parents and kids deal with

6 Things Parents Should Know About Discord

Like other social networks, Discord can be iffy or it can be safe. Here are six important things to know about the app before letting your kids sign up.

6 Ways Your Kids Can Protect Their Online Identities

Worried about how to keep your kids safe on the internet? Discover six ways your kids can protect their online identities.

5 Surefire Ways to Protect Your Online Privacy

Today’s kids spend lots of time posting and sharing information online. Learn five surefire ways to protect their privacy.

5 Ways to Make YouTube Safer for Kids

Kids love watching funny videos, learning cool stuff or uploading their own creations on YouTube. Discover 5 ways to make YouTube Safer for kids, whether they are watching or creating a channel.

6 Things Parents Need to Know About Fortnite

Are your kids caught up in the Fortnite frenzy? Here’s everything you need to know about this popular video game.

10 Things Parents Need to Know About Minecraft

What is Minecraft? Why do kids love Minecraft? Here’s are the top 10 things parents need to know about the popular game.

7 Easy Hacks for Parents of Young Gamers

Got a younger gamer at home? Here are seven helpful tips to keep them playing safely and smartly.

4 Tips for Learning with Technology

Today, there’s no shortage of apps, websites, and games that claim to be educational. But what’s really best for learning? Here are some tips that will help you look beyond the labels to get the most out of digital media.

5 Tips for Using Smart Devices Safely and Responsibly

Many families appreciate the benefits of digital home assistants and other smart devices that can help carry out parenting tasks. But are they OK for kids? And what are the privacy and security risks? Check out these tips for families

5 Reasons to Consider Co-viewing Media and Tech with Your Kids

Research shows that watching TV and movies with your kids has a range of positive effects. Here are five reasons why co-viewing makes sense for parents.

How Much Screen Time is OK for My Kid?

Kids are spending more time with screen media — and at younger ages — than ever before. In an effort to help families curb kids’ use, groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the World Health Organization

School- Year- Screen-Time Rules From a Teacher

Take it from a middle school teacher and mom: Kids need to manage their online activities — and parents need to help them do it. Last year Fortnite invaded my middle school classroom — as I believe it did to

How to Set Screen Rules That Stick

Easy tips for limiting kids’ computer, TV, game, and movie time. In many homes, getting kids to turn off their cell phones, shut down the video games, or quit YouTube can incite a revolt. And if your kids say they

Where Kids Find Hate Online

Help kids recognize and reject racist, sexist, homophobic, and religion-based hate content. Hate speech is all over the internet. Fueled by trolls, extremists, false information, and a group mentality, this kind of cruelty against a religion, ethnicity, sexual identity, gender,

What Are the Best Privacy Settings for My Smartphone and Computer?

On your computer, you can protect against privacy invasion in your web browser. On your smartphone, you use the phone’s settings. Computer Privacy Take a look at the privacy settings offered in your browser (usually found in the Tools menu)

Is It Safe for Teens to Use Location Apps?

As with most technology, there are positives and negatives about teens using location apps on their phones. On the one hand, apps such as Find My Friends and Gone Out – Later Folks can help friends find each other at

How to Talk to Teens About Dealing With Online Predators

Use this script to kick off a conversation with your kid. We might not want to think about our kids dealing with creepy people online. But for many parents, it’s the scariest thing about our kids’ digital lives. Although only

Real World Reasons Parents Should Worry About Kids and Online Privacy

Neglecting to protect your kid’s privacy can have serious consequences. If you don’t want to have the bejesus scared out of you, don’t talk to an expert on kids’ online privacy. If you knew what was really out there —

5 Myths and Truths About Kids’ Internet Safety

If you believe everything you hear about kids online, you might think pedophiles and cyberbullies are around every cyber-corner. Yes, there is bad stuff out there. But the truth is, there’s a lot of good, and some experts are arguing

Family Media Agreement

A healthy media diet balances three things: what kids do, how much time they spend doing it, and whether their content choices are age-appropriate. Mixing media and tech time with other activities will help families find that happy medium. Use

Parents’ Ultimate Guide to Parental Controls

Do you need parental controls? What are the options? Do they really work? Here’s everything you need to know about the wide array of parental control solutions, from OS settings to monitoring apps to network hardware. Even if you’ve talked

Handing Down Your Phone? Here’s What You Need to Know

Get your old device into tip-top and safe shape before handing it off to its new owner. Your kid has finally made a convincing case for their own phone, and you’ve decided they’re ready. As luck would have it, your

How to Set Parental Controls on Xbox One

Use these settings to help make gaming safer for kids. For kids who love Microsoft’s Xbox One, it’s all about the games. Cuphead, Forza Horizon, and Ori and the Blind Forest are the Xbox titles that make gamers keep coming

How to Set Parental Controls on Nintendo Switch

Use these settings to help make gaming safer for kids. In a field including the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4, the Nintendo Switch comes out as the best game console for families with young kids. Its ultra-user-friendly design, wide

How to Set Parental Controls on PlayStation 4

Use these settings to help make gaming safer for kids. If you’re going all out for your young gamers, the PS4 is a top pick. The console’s exclusive games combined with virtual reality capabilities make PS4 games feel lifelike and

Video Games You Can Say Yes to After School

Kids can learn all kinds of things, from social studies to social skills, with these great apps and games. It’s a modern-day dilemma: Do you ban gaming during the school week in hopes it will encourage more studying? Or do

6 Fortnite Secrets Your Kid Knows But You Don’t

Impress your kids (and learn to spot red flags) with our exclusive guide to Fortnite’s secret underworld. Any parent with a Fortnite fiend in their house knows the struggle: How do I keep up with the game’s everchanging features, customs,

Everything you need to know about Minecraft

Get the scoop on this incredible — and incredibly absorbing — game, from how to play, how to “speak Minecraft,” and how to choose videos, games, and apps for every age. If your kid has been swept up in the

How to Choose a Scary Movie for your Kid

One kid’s laugh riot is another’s fright fest. Learn how to choose age-appropriate scary movies. Scariness comes from fear of the unknown, from surprise, and from fears about the loss of a loved one. Different things scare different children; it’s

Parents’ Ultimate Guide to Twitch

Is Twitch safe for kids? Here’s everything you need to know about this massively popular gaming and livestreaming platform. The Internet trend that baffles most parents isn’t slime or even unboxing videos. It’s livestreaming: when people broadcast themselves live over

18 Sites and Apps Kids Are Heading to After Facebook

Social media apps that let teens do it all — text, chat, meet people, and share their pics and videos — often fly under parents’ radars. It’s official: Facebook isn’t cool. Though some teens still use it, they prefer to

Parents’ Ultimate Guide to “Fortnite”

Are your kids caught up in the “Fortnite” frenzy? Here’s everything you need to know about this popular video game. The Fortnite frenzy seemed to come out of nowhere — almost as if it dropped from a party bus in

14 Tools to Turn Game-Obsessed Kids Into Genuine Game Designers

From programming to editing, your kid’s favorite hobby could become an awesome outlet for his or her imagination. When you look at your kids playing video games, you might worry they’re wasting time and energy passively staring at a screen

How to Raise a Lifelong Learner

Beyond grades and test scores, help your kid hang onto their natural curiosity and wonder. “Look! When I mix these paints, I get a whole new color!” Hearing your kids get excited about learning feels like glitter bombs exploding in

How can I tell if an app or a website is really good for learning?

Despite the claims of certain products that they teach your baby to read or do math, media that’s really good for learning may not produce immediate, observable results. Instead, websites and apps with the most learning potential help your child

How do I keep my kid safe on the internet?

Internet safety goes way beyond protecting kids from strangers or blocking inappropriate content. It’s about helping your kids use the Internet productively and practice safe, responsible online behavior — especially when you’re not there to answer their questions or check

17 apps and websites kids are heading to after Facebook

Social media apps that let teens do it all — text, chat, meet people, and share their pics and videos — often fly under parents’ radars. Gone are the days of Facebook as a one-stop shop for all social-networking needs.

How can I make sure my kid doesn’t get addicted to technology?

It’s unlikely that your kid will become addicted to technology. A person with an addiction can’t stop doing something that is extremely harmful, despite severe negative consequences. But you’re right to be concerned. According to a Common Sense Media poll,

What can I tell my kid to do if he or she is being cyberbullied?

Kids may not always recognize teasing as bullying. Some kids also may be too embarrassed or ashamed to talk to their parents about it. That’s why it’s important to talk about online and digital behavior before your child starts interacting

Parents’ ultimate guide to Snapchat

Is Snapchat safe for kids? How does it work? And what’s with Snapstreaks? Everything curious parents need to know about this ultra-popular app. If you have tweens or teens, you know about Snapchat. And if you can’t figure out how

How to talk to teens about dealing with online predators

How do I protect my kid’s privacy online?

First, there are two kinds of online privacy. Personal privacy refers to your kid’s online reputation, and consumer privacy (also known as customer privacy) refers to the data companies can collect about your kid during an online interaction or transaction.

Is it OK for me to read my kids’ text messages on their phones?

Parents: there’s no absolute right answer as to whether it’s OK to read your kid’s text messages. It depends on your kid’s age, personality, and behavior. The most important thing is that you discuss responsible texting behavior. Remind them that

The facts about online predators every parent should know

Every parent worries about online predators at some point. And while it’s smart to be cautious, the facts show that it’s actually fairly rare for kids to be contacted by adult strangers seeking sexual communication. Of course it’s natural to

Guide to managing media for tweens and teens

With kids consuming more media than ever before, parents need new rules for how to manage it. Today’s kids are immersed in media. More than ever before, tweens and teens are watching, reading, listening, creating, and communicating throughout their entire

Why the best parental control is you

Instead of flipping a switch, be the voice in their head. If your kid’s online, there have probably been times when you’ve wanted to track everything they’ve texted, see their entire social media history, or just shut off the internet

How should my kid respond to haters and trolls online?

Those folks who make cruel remarks just to stir the pot are everywhere. Kids are affected by this to varying degrees, depending on many factors, including a kid’s age, his or her level of sensitivity, the severity of the comments,

What should parents know about Instagram?

Kids and teens love using the photo-sharing app Instagram because it lets you apply cool effects and captions to your photos and videos and easily share them across a number of social media platforms. The ability to quickly change the

What age should my kids be before I let them use Instagram, Facebook, and other social media services?

How old your kid should be before he or she starts using social media with your permission is really up to you. Most social media websites and apps require that kids be 13 to sign up. Despite what many think,

Do I need to use parental controls for my young kids online?

Some very basic parental controls are a good idea, are simple to set, and will put you at ease. These can be as basic as using safe search on Google or installing a basic content filter on your web browser.

A parents’ ultimate guide to YouTube

Smosh, Good Mythical Morning, Markiplier — the names may not mean much to you, but chances are your kids are on a first-name basis. Their funny hosts, off-the-cuff commentary, silly antics, and bewildering (to adults) subject matter put them among

5 strategies for getting kids off devices

“Just a sec,” say nine out of 10 parents answering an email when their kid asks them for something. If it’s hard for us to jump out of the digital world, just imagine you’re 3 and the lines between fantasy and reality are already

If my kid needs to use the computer for school, how do I make sure he’s not wasting time on other stuff?

Discuss your concerns with your kid and talk about ways to structure homework time that work for everyone. Consider asking your kids to write down assignments and have them check each off as they finish them. Talk about how it

Is watching TV really bad for kids?

It depends on how much and what kind of TV. There are certainly plenty of wonderful TV shows for kids of all ages — and if you’re choosing high-quality, age-appropriate programs, minimizing exposure to advertising, and making sure kids have

How do I talk to my kid about internet porn?

There’s no sugarcoating it: It’s easy for kids to find porn online, even through completely innocent searches. Many parents find themselves confronting this issue much sooner than they imagined, with kids who may not even understand exactly what sex is.

How to raise a reader

Ten tips for getting your kids hooked on books — ebooks or the paper kind. Kids become lifelong readers for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes there’s one key book that captures a kid’s imagination and opens him or her up

How much “scary stuff” can my young kid handle?

Some kids like scary stuff, and some kids hate it. Movies with fearsome images, intense danger, loud noises, and — above all — blood and gore can create all sorts of problems, so it’s wise to take it slowly. Children

What type of media is best for learning?

While there’s a big difference between playing Fortnite for an hour and spending an hour learning music composition on YouTube, the truth is, there isn’t one media type that’s better for learning than another one. What really matters is how