Meet the Dirty Digital Dozen

I grew up with a single mom who was half Wonder Woman, half Mary Tyler Moore: She managed to combine a significant career with raising a kid on her own. You know what she didn’t have to deal with? 7 p.m. emails. Digital communications tools like email, Google Docs,...

Why your rights shouldn’t depend on your employer

The Supreme Court decision that struck down Roe v. Wade also ushered in a new era for the workplace, and for how all of us—yes, in every country—relate to our employers and employees. Within hours of the decision, a string of major companies announced their intention...

The definitive guide to Google Drive

When the senior editors at Medium approached me about writing the definitive guide to Google Drive, they weren’t expecting the Sext-o-matic: a Google sheet that automates the tedious job of sending sexy text messages to your lover. But I couldn’t resist...

Today in HBR: The productivity app that will change your life

If you have seen me anytime in the past year, you’ve probably heard me obsess over my new love, Coda. Coda is my new tech and productivity Swiss Army knife: I’ve used it to replace countless docs and spreadsheets, and I’ve also used it to build...

How to lock your kids out of every device

I wrote my Ph.D. thesis on hacktivism: politically-motivated computer hacking. Interviewing fifty politically engaged computer hackers turned out to be great preparation for running a business that built nonprofit online communities, because I really know how to speak...

How to end screen time without tears

Turning off the phone, TV or videogame is hard. Here’s how to make that transition easier for you and your child — and to build your child’s core skills in the process.

What kind of digital parent are you?

My recent piece for The Atlantic, Parents: Reject Technology Shame, tackles the question of how to raise kids in a digital world. Data from more than 10,000 North American parents shows that they are deeply divided on this question, and that there are three distinct...

Why you should hand your kid that iPhone

I see you looking at me from the other side of the coffee shop?—?yes, you: the hemp-swaddled mom with the slightly sticky child who is playing with that organic wooden toy. You probably hope that toy will teach her hand-eye coordination or bring him into harmony with...

Don’t be scared to Facebook your kids: A response to Amy Webb

Amy Webb has written an important but frustrating post on Facebook privacy and kids on the Slate website. Writing about a friend who extensively Facebooks photos and stories about her daughter “Kate”, Webb worries that Kate’s parents have compromised...

Help your kids learn with Etsy and the Maker Faire

Tonight Little Sweetie was thrilled to learn that she has been accepted into the Vancouver Maker Faire, a DIY festival we attended last year. She loved it, and immediately wanted to run her own booth, based on her Etsy store,  2 Dots 1 Symbol, which sells emoticon...