Oh My Tech!

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 connecte...

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...

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 t...

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 priv...

What parents can actually control on a school-issued laptop, and the five questions that get you real answers from your district. TL;DR Phone bans are spreading fast. As of mid-2026, at least 38 states plus Washington, D.C. require districts to restrict student phones, and 28 states plus D.C. go bell-to-bell (first bell to last bell, lunch and passing periods included). The bans are working on the...

Instagram is about to hand your teenager the strictest version of itself: a two hour daily cap across Instagram and Facebook, a midnight to 6 AM lockout, silent notifications during school hours, hidden like counts, and pauses every hour. All of it on by default, and none of it requires you to do anything. Which sounds like good news until you read the fine print. Every one of those defaults can o...

A speaker came to my kids' middle school and put a picture of a handgun next to a picture of a smartphone. Then he told a room full of parents those two things were the same thing. He was giving a similar talk to the students the next day, and I told my kids they had my permission to skip it. This week: why fear is a business model and you are the customer, why "just take it away" is a wish rather...

Sarah told parents BeReal was safe. She had good reasons: no filters, no likes, no followers, no ads, and critically, no direct messages. No inbox meant there was no door for a stranger to knock on. That was a real structural protection, not a promise or a policy. Then BeReal added messaging in 2023. Then ads in 2025. Then a creator program. Then it got acquired by a mobile games company for rough...

The quick win: Post your vacation photos after you get home. Same pictures, same story, same likes. It just lands on a Tuesday while you are unpacking instead of live from the pool. The reason is not scary strangers. It is that a live vacation post announces your house is empty. The wrong question: "Is this photo embarrassing or flattering?" Almost every article online sorts by that. It is the wro...

You bought the fitness tracker last New Year’s. You downloaded the habit app because someone online swore by it, possibly me. And right now that tracker is on your dresser with a dead battery, and that app is buried three folders deep next to a parking app you used once in 2023. You are not alone, and it is not a character flaw. Here is the actual problem. Most health technology is built on...

Short version: I am a family tech expert with 20+ years in IT, and I have made the same types of tech mistakes I warn other parents about. Relaxed parental controls I never tightened back up. A family tech agreement I never actually signed. Browsing history I stopped checking. Devices at family dinners. A Discord promise I should have walked back. A consequence I threatened and never enforced. Eve...

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...

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 nobo...

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...

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 delay...

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...

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: Cl...

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 boundar...

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 fi...

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...

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...

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?

Since the internet’s inception, our search habits and the engines we use have evolved significantly. While early users remember the days of AOL and Yahoo, Google has become the primary tool for most. However, even Google has undergone massive changes in how it delivers information, necessitating a shift in how we approach our queries. The Evolution of Search Queries Originally, we searched for spe...