family Archives

Reset your social media algorithms

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Ever scroll through Instagram or Facebook and wonder, Why am I still seeing goat yoga videos and political or family drama from 2009? Our social media feeds are Frankenstein monsters built from everything we’ve clicked on, liked, hovered over or even winced at for half a second.

Good news: You can hit the big, shiny RESET. Let’s declutter the chaos.

📸 Instagram: Wipe it clean

Instagram learns your taste based on Reels, Explore clicks and who you engage with. Accidentally watched a slime video one too many times? Now it thinks you’re obsessed. Here’s how to fix that:

Go to your profile and tap the three-line menu.
Tap Settings & activity > Content preferences.
Choose Reset suggested content.

📘 Facebook: Take back your feed

If your Facebook feed still thinks you’re close to deciding the fate of American politics, reuniting with old friends you muted in your head years ago, and laughing at several pages dedicated to Minion memes, time for a change.

Quick fixes:

Hit the three dots on any post and choose Not interested to see fewer posts like it or Unfollow to stop seeing updates (they won’t know).
Want someone to appear first? Tap those three dots and select Favorites.
Head to Settings & privacy > Settings > Accounts Center > Ad Preferences to adjust what shows up.

🐦 Twitter/X: Bring forth sanity

Elon’s playground gives you two feed views: the chaotic, algorithm-curated “For You” or good old-fashioned chronological order.

Here’s how to switch:

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Unplanned & perfect

Kim Komando

It wasn’t planned. Unlike the 17,397 pics cluttering my camera roll, recipe screenshots of dishes I’ll never make and reminders I never needed, this one was completely accidental. I was walking with my phone and accidentally double tapped. It turned out to be the most accurate snapshot of life I’ve taken in ages.

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Talk is cheap

📱 And these phone goodies for under $30 are calling your name.

Apple or Android? This portable charger (33% off) has the juice for both.
Blast your jams on a phone stand (25% off) that doubles as a speaker.
Bring your older ride up to speed with a Bluetooth adapter (31% off).
Travel light with a cross-body phone bag (26% off) to carry just the basics.
Keep your family’s phones splash-free with waterproof pouches (15% off).

✨ Tech it or leave it: Swing by my page for even more of my handpicked tech faves.

We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.

🚔 Modern superhero: Modern Family’s Ariel Winter is now working undercover in child predator stings. Yes, that Ariel. She volunteers with SOSA, posing as teens online to catch creeps in real life. As you can imagine, Ariel describes how emotionally demanding the gig can be.

6 hours

Per day with family. That’s part of a scientific formula for the perfect day (paywall link). You should also spend two hours with friends, two hours exercising and one hour eating and drinking. Work? Keep it under six hours, and screen time under one. It might not be realistic, but hey, life’s supposed to be about balance, right?

Set digital boundaries: Create a Samsung account for your child, so you can watch and manage what they see on their phone. Go to Settings > [your name] > Family > Add family member > Create child account and follow the prompts. Once you’re set up, your child will be added to your Family Group.

Your privacy restored

Ever Googled yourself and thought, “What the heck is that doing online?” Old addresses, phone numbers and even the car you drive are all out there. Worse, it’s probably on some sketchy people search site or buried in a mountain of search results.

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Gadget or gimmick? The truth behind viral tech products

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Oh, it’s Friday. Let’s lighten our tech brains and hearts.

Every week, some new gadget promises to make your life easier. There’s a fine line though between “tech that improves your life” and “tech that ends up in a junk drawer next to the USB lava lamp.”

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Kiddos under 13? Here’s how to create an Apple ID for them. Apple may ask for your credit card or state ID to confirm you’re an adult. Head to Settings > Family > Add Member > Create Child Account > Continue. Double-check their name and birthday. Changing it later is tricky.

🧟 Walt Disney returns … kinda: For Disneyland’s 70th, Disney is unveiling an animatronic Walt Disney to “remind fans he was an actual person” and not a mouse. Some family members aren’t thrilled, calling it a robotic grandpa impostor. But Disney swears it’s what Walt would have wanted, right down to the animatronic charm. Spoiler: No cigarettes. It was reported Walt smoked three packs a day.

👨🏻‍⚖️ When dead men speak: In Arizona, a family used AI to recreate a murder victim’s voice and face in a video to deliver his own impact statement in court. The judge gave a harsher sentence after hearing the victim’s synthesized testimony, marking a surreal, and possibly cathartic, first in American legal history. Nothing says “closure” like a ghost dropping the mic in court.

💬 Name dropper: Give your family and friends fun nicknames on Facebook Messenger. Just open a conversation from the Chats tab. Tap their name at the top, and go to Nicknames > [their name] > Save (iOS) or Set (Android) when you’re done. The other person will see it, so keep it friendly.

🌿 I’m kind of a big dill: If you live in an apartment or want to meet other plant lovers, check out the American Community Gardening Association’s site. Their map shows over 2,100 gardens from urban farms to family plots. You can even add your own local garden to their list.

Browse control: Google’s SafeSearch filters out explicit content from search results. But it’s not on by default for anyone over 13. Open Search Settings, click SafeSearch and check the setting you want to turn on. Pro tip: If your teen uses Chrome, you can manage it through Google Family Link.

AirPlay or MalwarePlay: Apple patched its side of the AirPlay saga (paywall link), but tens of millions of third-party speakers, TVs and, yes, cars are still left wide-open thanks to bugs in Apple’s developer tools. A hacker might just need Wi-Fi access to hijack everything from the Bose speaker to the family sedan. Check your devices for any updates.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: UWB = Ultra-Wideband. This tech powers super-precise location like AirTags knowing exactly which couch cushion your keys are under. Use that to impress your family and friends.

📵 This will be on the test: Do your kids have Androids? School Time on Google Family Link keeps them focused by turning off notifications and limiting apps. Select your child, tap the Screen time (three bars) > Schedules > School time. You can set breaks for lunch, recess or vacations, too.

🏡 Safe & sound: Protecting your home takes more than just locking the front door. I trust SimpliSafe, the award-winning security system that’s actually easy to set up and use. Don’t wait for a break-in to get serious about your family’s safety.

💔 Tinder swindler alert: A Portland woman lost over $40,000 after falling for a scammer she met on the app. They talked for a week before he asked for money, saying he had no family to help, sealing the con with a fake photo of himself in a hospital bed. Tinder’s basically a financial thriller with worse dialogue than a Lifetime movie.

How to spot hidden spyware, and kick it out for good

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Ever get the feeling someone knows too much about what you’re doing online? I’m not talking about the sarcastic “My FBI agent is amused” way, but in the “Why did my phone just text my ex and order dog food at 2 a.m.?” kind of way.

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