Episodes

My mom wanted to listen to an audiobook on a road trip and asked for help. When we got to the driveway, her phone was already paired to the car, Libby was already on her phone, and she'd already borrowed the book. What was missing was one button on the car and knowing the ebook and audiobook are two different loans. This week: how Bluetooth pairing works (think party introductions), why a connected car can still be silent, the volume and wrong-phone traps, using Libby in the car with CarPlay or...

Your kid has an app you already said no to. Maybe you just found it. Maybe it's on a phone you didn't know existed. This week, we split that moment into the two conversations hiding inside it: one about trust, and one about understanding what really happens to the things she shares. You'll hear why most kids sneak apps (it's usually about not being left out), how to keep them connected to friends without the app, the Discord promise I wish I hadn't made, and how to let Snapchat's own help page d...

AI isn't just answering our questions anymore. It's booking things, buying things, and answering messages as us. This week on Oh My Tech, Sarah breaks down Meta's new AI agent, Muse: what it actually does, what it costs, and the Facebook Marketplace story where an AI agent reportedly shared a seller's home address. Then she walks through how to decide what AI can do on its own versus what it has to check with you first, and where to change those settings in Muse. Plus her take on Muse Charm, the...

That birthday your kid typed into a signup form years ago? It's now deciding who can message them, what they can download, and when your parental controls loosen up. This week on Oh My Tech, we talk through how Roblox, Discord, and Instagram stopped trusting the birthday, what the new App Store age laws in Utah, Texas, and other states actually do (and which ones are really in force), and the privacy trade-off when everyone, including you, gets checked. Plus, where your child's birthday lives on...

Phone bans are spreading fast, and in a lot of schools they're working. But there's still a screen in the backpack every single day: the school-issued Chromebook. This week on Oh My Tech, we talk about why parents can't just "fix" the school laptop (and why that's not on you), whether laptops are actually a bigger distraction than phones, what to do when your kid finds a way around the rules, and the five questions that get you real answers from your district. ** FREE RESOURCES ** From customi...

Instagram and Facebook are getting new teen defaults as part of the Meta settlement: a two-hour daily cap, an overnight lockout, quiet school hours, hidden like counts, and more, all switched on automatically. Once they're on, only a linked parent can loosen them. This week on Oh My Tech, we walk through what's actually changing on your kid's phone, what linking an account really lets you see, and the 10-minute couch conversation that makes you the one who can say yes. ** FREE RESOURCES ** Fro...

A while back I sat in a middle school auditorium and watched a speaker put a handgun and a smartphone side by side on the screen and tell a room full of parents they were the same thing. Scared parents are an easy audience, and that makes fear a business model. This week on Oh My Tech, I share the three questions I run every scary headline through, including the one that finds the off-ramp. It takes about 90 seconds and turns a knot in your stomach into a plan. ** FREE RESOURCES ** From custom...

"Is this app safe?" is the wrong question, because "safe" is a verdict, and verdicts expire. This week on Oh My Tech, I swap it for four questions you can ask about any app in about 30 seconds: the Message Door (who can message my kid?), the Discovery Door (can strangers find them?), the Audience Door (who actually sees what they post?), and the Money Door (is there anything to buy?). They work on today's apps and on whatever your kid asks for next. ** FREE RESOURCES ** From customizable techn...

Before you post that photo of your kid, the question isn't "is this embarrassing?" It's "whose story is this?" This week on Oh My Tech, we talk about sharing your kids online: why vacation pics are better posted once you're home, plus three simple habits for your family, the veto, the undo, and the handoff. Nobody's asking you to delete a decade of photos. Your challenge this week: Google your kid's name and run a reverse image search on their face before you touch a single old post. ** FREE RE...

That fitness tracker sitting on your dresser with a dead battery? You're in good company. Most health tech assumes that having the data will change your behavior, and that's just not how people work. What actually works is games. This week on Oh My Tech, we break down the gamification of health: what it means in plain English, how a game turns into a habit, which trackers and apps do it well, what it all really costs, and how to bring it home so it feels less like a chore and more like fun for t...

I've spent decades in IT and I teach this stuff for a living, and I've still made the tech parenting mistakes I warn other parents about. Parental controls I relaxed for a vacation and never tightened back up. A family tech agreement I made the template for but never actually signed. A Discord promise I should have walked back. This week on Oh My Tech, I walk through six of my own mistakes, the three patterns behind almost all of them, and why patterns are something you can actually fix. ** FRE...

The standard advice (pick a topic, search, join, introduce yourself, post daily) is the reason you feel stuck. It has almost nothing to do with how real online communities actually form. Most disappointing groups are not the wrong topic. They are the wrong verb. Same subject, completely different activity happening inside. You do not go find a community. You go find something you needed, and your people are standing right next to it. You find your people sideways. A community is not 11,000 me...

Last updated: July 2026. Written for US families heading into the 2026 to 2027 school year. Picture the first day of school. Your kid walks in, and their phone gets zipped into a pouch like it is evidence at a crime scene. That image is why my inbox is full right now. Phone-free schools are having a real moment, it is one of the fastest moving bipartisan issues in state government, and almost nobody has explained to parents what it actually changes at the kitchen table level. So let’s do that....

So, your kid is officially a teenager now. You know exactly what that means: the parental controls that used to work flawlessly are suddenly useless. Your teen is fighting you on every single restriction; they’ve probably discovered at least three workarounds you didn't know existed, and phone time has turned into a daily household battle. If you are exhausted from playing the role of the "screen time police," I have some great news for you. We aren't going to talk about how to lock down your ...

Your digital home has grown far beyond a single computer and password—every smart TV, kids' tablet, and connected device represents a potential "window" left cracked open for modern, automated cybercriminals to exploit. This guide breaks down the four biggest digital vulnerabilities families face today: password reuse, phishing/smishing scams, unchanged factory settings on smart gadgets, and delayed software updates. By taking just ten minutes tonight to implement baseline defenses—like setting...

This episode addresses the challenging "role reversal" of the sandwich generation, exploring how parents can protect their aging seniors from sophisticated digital scams and tech fatigue without stripping away their dignity. By breaking down the subtle red flags of cognitive decline—such as financial anomalies, secretive device behavior, and an uptick in support requests—the post offers actionable, collaborative strategies to co-manage their digital footprint. Through the deployment of practical...

In this episode, we break down why relying solely on a single external hard drive or standard cloud syncing puts your family’s precious photos and videos at serious risk of "digital decay" or sudden deletion. Key Takeaways: The Hard Drive Trap: Hard drives have mechanical parts that will seize up and die if left in a closet without power for too long—just like an unused car. The Cloud Illusion: Cloud storage isn't a magical sky; it's a rented digital apartment. If you stop paying, or if autom...

Managing child digital privacy is becoming a daily challenge. Learn how to balance parental oversight with your child's need for personal space. Finding the right approach to child digital privacy requires understanding that while total anonymity online is rare, children still need a sense of autonomy. This discussion focuses on the tension between protecting your kids and respecting their boundaries. If you struggle with knowing how much monitoring is too much, this breakdown helps clarify whe...

Most people think they spend $80 a month on subscriptions, but the actual cost is over $200. Learn how to audit your bills. Many of us lose track of recurring charges, leading to subscription spending that silently drains our bank accounts. This episode breaks down why we underestimate our monthly costs and provides a clear strategy to identify wasted money in your budget. If you feel like your finances are slipping away through small, automated payments, this guide is for you. We examine the ...

We tackle a common question for parents: when is a child truly ready for a phone? It's not about age, but rather a child's and family's readiness level, addressing concerns like phone addiction. This episode offers parenting advice to help families navigate screentime and promote healthy child behavior. We discuss signs of readiness and when a digital detox might be beneficial. Resources available at https://familytech.biz/tools

On today's episode of Oh My Tech, we're diving into what's been making waves online. We'll explore a couple of stories that have been trending and filling up social media feeds, giving you the TLDR on each. Get ready to understand the latest social media trends and all the trending news everyone's talking about!

With AI advancement, constant overstimulation, and tech addiction, it often feels like we are hurtling toward an overly tech-based world. We now have devices to track our sleep, smart home security, and cars that resemble KITT from Knight Rider. Many of us are longing for the days when technology didn’t seep into every single aspect of our lives. This overwhelming connectivity explains why people are gravitating toward a lower-tech lifestyle. But what does this movement actually entail, and is ...

In 2026, our approach to gift-giving has significantly shifted, embracing a philosophy of minimalism. We're moving away from accumulating 'stuff' and using technology to focus on intentional living, questioning what truly brings joy. This trend towards a simple life emphasizes that sometimes, less is more, encouraging us to rethink our habits around possessions.

Online spaces for kids like Animal Jam and Club Penguin have disappeared. Has this been a benefit or a hindrance to our kids’ social development? How can we give our kids the same types of experiences while keeping them safe online?