Gen Z is taking parents to job interviews

I can promise any Gen Z that if they walk in my office looking for a job and their MOM is sitting in the lobby…it’s going to be a no. Mommy can’t hold your hand through life kiddo!

Another one fights the dust

👇 Here’s your go-to team for keeping things spotless and sane.

⚡ Germ-zap: Parents, check out a mini UV case (5% off) that sanitizes pacifiers in just 59 seconds.

Parents, check your kid’s phone for this app – March 29th, Hour 3

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A mom in Texas was shocked by what she found on her 12-year-old’s phone. Also, Gagan from Vancouver, Washington, is an eighth grader who wants to start his own tech newsletter for teens. Plus: an AI bot that can join your Zoom calls, and why it’s important to sound good on video calls.

📵 Virginia limits kids’ screen time: A new law will ban anyone under 16 from using social media for more than one hour a day. Apps will verify age, and parents can adjust if their kids get more time. Once they hit the limit, the app is supposed to block access … though it’s unclear how that’ll work. 

14% decrease

That’s how much less money the “Tooth Fairy” is giving out these days. A survey of 1,000 parents shows payouts dropped from an average of $5.84 to $5.01. Brace yourselves, I was lucky if I got a quarter! What do tooth fairies have on their phones? Bluetooth! (Share this one with the kiddos!)

Attention, parents with small kids: Researchers found that parents distracted by their phones around kids under 5 can cause long-term issues. Think poorer cognition and behavior problems. Why? This is when little ones are developing critical language and social skills, and being ignored can seriously mess with that.

📵 Phones down, eyes up: That’s the YMCA’s new water safety campaign for parents this summer. Why? Drowning is the number one cause of death for kids ages 1 to 4, and it often happens within 25 yards of a distracted parent. It’s usually silent, with no splashes, and can happen in 30 seconds or less. I know there’s someone you need to share this with. 

 🔞 Parents, beware of Meta’s chatbots: They can have sexual convos with children, using celebrity voices. Seriously. An AI acting as John Cena played out a statutory rape scenario, even after being told it was talking to an underage fan (paywall link). I wonder if Zuck’s letting his precious kids use Meta’s chatbots?

“KYS” isn’t harmless teen slang: Parents, you might see “kys” or “keys” online and think it’s just another TikTok-ified acronym. But it’s actually short for “kill yourself,” and it’s alarmingly common in teen comment sections and DMs. Some teens use it jokingly (🤨), but it can land with real emotional weight.

Remember Ruby Franke? She’s an evil mommy vlogger who went to prison last year for abusing and starving her kids. New laws are in the works to stop parents from using their kids for clicks. If a parent makes over $150K a year from family content, they must put some money into a trust (paywall link). Once kids hit 18, they can ask for old videos to be taken down. About time.

Roblox’s CEO has a few words for you: So many horror stories of grooming and bullying in the game. The CEO’s advice for parents is simple: If you can’t watch your kids, don’t let them play. In other words, it’s not my fault there’s bad stuff happening. Nice.

😱 This is horrifying: A mom says she’ll never let her daughter go to another sleepover again. Why? Her 11-year-old found cameras in her friend’s bedroom. The parents said they were “for security” but turned off. Except … the light was on. So she covered them with a shirt. The parents came in, removed it and that’s when she called her mom to pick her up. 

40%

Of parents judge other families based on their screen-time rules. About a third stop their kids from hanging out with friends who have different rules. Why? No one wants to be labeled as the parent of an “iPad kid” or blamed for causing “brain rot.”

$30,000 a month

How much a teen mom influencer makes. TikTokker MariClare MacLamroc rakes in millions of views posting about her life as a 19-year-old mom. She’s not alone; other young parents are turning their everyday activities into content … and six-figure incomes.

Parents, know this about Disney

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Disney+ adding Hulu content might seem like a win for variety, but parents aren’t thrilled. R-rated flicks and reality drama are creeping into what used to be a family-safe zone.

Children and hot car deaths

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Every year, about 37 young children tragically die from heat-related incidents in cars. Some parents are placing the blame on car manufacturers.

What really happens when you hit ‘I'm not a robot’

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You’re not just proving you’re human — you’re revealing your browser’s dirty secrets. We also talk to Jeff Johnson from The Trek Planner about using Google Earth to find ancient ruins. Plus, Gen Z brings parents to job interviews and human skills bots can’t replicate.

Parents call on Google to change its Santa answer

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How should ChatGPT, or Google, answer when asked if Santa is real? Here’s why some parents are up in arms.

Cell phone bans in school are growing

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Should the tech be allowed in the classroom? Here’s why parents and teachers are split. 

Gen Z wants to be watched

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Kids today don’t have an issue with parents monitoring them online. I’ve got the reason behind this, in 60 seconds.