When we started Cool Mom Tech almost 10 years ago, there wasn’t a lot of language around digital parenting. But considering we tend to be the non-alarmist type of parents, we approached parenting our own digital-native kids like other difficult parenting topics: with the goal to mentor, empower, and educate.

Being a tech-positive parent isn’t a new concept, but it’s one you don’t hear very often. And quite frankly, we believe it’s one more parents need to adopt (or at least, consider – we’re also not bossy parents). So on today’s episode of Spawned, we’re chatting about how to be a tech positive parent, and what exactly that means in real, actionable takeaways.

You can listen right now, and then be sure you’re a Spawned subscriber on Apple Podcasts, or really, wherever you listen (we’re on Spotify, Stitcher, and more).

And hey, if you’ve got a moment, leave us a 5-star review. When you do that, it actually helps more people find Spawned, which of course we greatly appreciate. 

Links from the show 

– Our Spawned podcast with Jordan Shapiro, author of The New Childhood, was hugely influential in our approach to digital parenting. If you haven’t read his book yet, we highlight recommend it.

– We share lots of great resources for keeping up on tech, like our Out Tech Your Kids Facebook Group, our Cool Mom Tech website (make sure you’re a subscriber), as well as sites like TechCrunch, NPR Tech, and more.

– We’ve written about having “the tech talk” with your kids in many different ways, from what kids need to know before they get a smartphone, to how to keep them safer on social. We’ve even got help creating a cell phone contract with your kids. Basically, we’ve got you covered.

– If you think your child is ready to try out social media, check out Kristen’s post on TikTok. She shares how she worked with her daughter to use it before letting her put it on her own phone.

And…  a whole lot more.

You might enjoy listening to past episodes on tech and parenting, including our chat with The Art of Screen Time author Anya Kamenetz, advice from tech expert Dr. Mike Brooks (who offers awesome advice on screen time management), and Catherine Price, author of How to Break Up With Your Phone.  

Our sponsor: Zulily

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They offer the big brands you know, like KitchenAid and Coach, right along with those smaller brands and boutique brands we love.

What’s extra cool is that this season Zulily has launched the Best Price Promise program to help you save time and money during the holiday shopping season. You’ll not only see real time price comparisons for identical or similar items on Amazon.com and Walmart.com — Zulily is guaranteed to match the price or beat it.

Visit Zulily.com for incredible deals on toys, beauty, fashion, home decor, holiday goodies and so much more — or download the free app. 

Our cool picks of the week

Kristen: Coming off two awesome days at The Riveter Summit, I wanted to share the other podcast I host: Real Women. Real Stories. It’s 15 minutes of inspiration and gratitude, featuring amazing women with incredible stories.

Liz: We’ve got the scoop on the new Atlas Obscura The Second Edition. It makes an awesome holiday gift! You can purchase at our affiliate Amazon (linked) or at your local bookstore.

Thanks for spreading the word about our podcast. We love hearing from you. Drop us an email at spawned@coolmompicks.com, or hit us up on social – use #spawnedshow on Twitter to say “hi.” 

Top Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash