Technology and kids


How to spot if your child is being cyberbullied 1

One of our greatest fears as a parent is that our child is being bullied and now with the prevalence of mobile phones and social media it has opened a whole new side to abuse – cyberbullying or online bullying. It can be really hard to get your child to open up about being bullied, the signs can be difficult to spot and with cyberbullying, and it can be even more problematic as it isn’t confined to “in-person” bullying and abuse, and that’s why it’s crucial to stay safe on social media.


The Clueless Parents Guide to TikTok

The Clueless Parents Guide to TikTok is a paid collaborative post with TikTok, but all opinions are my own. You can be forgiven for not knowing what TikTok is if you are not a teenager, but last September, it had more app store downloads than YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram, and even Facebook. It might be the world’s fastest-growing social media app and as a parent, it might also be the world’s most confusing! So here is my clueless parent’s guide to TikTok.


What Parents should know about Teenagers and Instagram 4

At the end of 2018, I attended a conference at Instagram about Teenagers and social media, specifically teenagers and Instagram. I am not going to lie, it has taken me all this time to try and process the thoughts that came out of the event and also from my experience of parenting one teen and one soon to be teen boy. Plus add that to the fact that I once was a teen and a pretty tearaway one at that (I hope my boys are better behaved than I was)!


Adding a projector has made our family screen time more social 4

Screen time for me is the ultimate parenting conundrum. I am really aware that my boys’ are growing up with amazing access to technology and as a parent, it is my job to manage their access and help provide balance to their life but I have no framework or experience to build this on as it wasn’t around when I was a child.  We had one TV with 3 channels and a phone that had a dial and cable! I remember illicitly taping the top 40 on a Sunday hoping the DJ wouldn’t talk over the song and that I could press pause and play fast enough to minimise the gap. My more »


Do you know what your kids get up to online?

Do you know what your kids get up to online? 4

Do you know what your kids get up to online? is a paid collaboration with Tots100 and McAfee. It seems that I am not alone in being my children tech this Christmas. In fact,  45% of people are planning to buy the latest gadgets for Christmas this year, putting tech at the top of Brits’ Christmas shopping lists with 22% of people say they plan to buy connected toys this festive period, a 7% increase on last year.  However, less than a third of parents (31%)  are currently speaking to their kids about what they do online.  Do you know what your kids get up to online? 


Sony Xperia XZ1 – A Review 3

Sony Xperia XZ1 A review is a paid collaboration with Sony and Tots100 and a follow up to our Sony Xperia XZ1 First Impressions post three weeks ago.  Since getting the Sony Xperia XZ1 in November we have been putting it through its paces as a family.  However, it has mainly been split between Maxi and me, so this review is from that perspective. We also tried to make sure that we really put the camera and phone through its paces, so this is our view after a month with the phone.


Sony Xperia ZX1 First Impressions

Sony Xperia XZ1 First Impressions 6

Sony Xperia XX1 First Impressions is a paid collaboration with Sony and Tots100.  I am going, to be honest, and admit that we do not have any android devises in this house, so I was intrigued to see how we felt about an android phone.  Over the next month or so I am going to be sharing with you our thoughts and opinions here and over on Instagram and Twitter about what we all think.  I am going to start today after we have had the phone for a week with our first impressions of the Sony Xperia XZ1.


Summer Screen Rules – Free Printable 5

It is no secret that I find balancing screen time challenging. My boys would quite happily spend some days on their Xbox or screens all day.  So this summer we are implementing some summer screen rules for my sanity! Now I realise that this might not be for everyone, in fact, one of my besties doesn’t feel the need to implement screen times rules in her home. As always you know what is best for your family and this is what I feel is best for mine.

Free Printable Summer Screen Rules - Encourage a balance with screen time and technology this summer with these simple summer screen rules.

A great value tablet for Summer - Amazon Fire Tablet

A great value tablet for Summer – Amazon Fire Tablet 8

When Amazon asked me to take a look at the Amazon Fire Tablet their timing could not have been more perfect.  Mini broke his wrist playing football on his last day of primary school!  This has proven something of a challenge for my sporty kid who normally plays football and cricket during the summer and never really sits still.  We do have a family tablet, but it is bigger than the Fire and a little heavy for him to hold and manipulate with his wrist in a brace, but the Amazon Fire Tablet has proven a great hit.


Kidslox Parental Control App – Initial Thoughts 9

As a parent you want to make sure that you children only access age appropriate apps and information on their tablets.  The fact that my boys are now 10 and 11 and use tablets for homework and are sometimes left to use them independently means that I want to try and ensure that they are not accessing what they shouldn’t and also not spending too long on their tablets.  This is why we are trailing Kidslox.

Kidslox Parental Control App