https://goteckno.com/ Making Sense of Modern Tech — plain-language tech articles for parents. en-us Sat, 29 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://goteckno.com/articles/breakdown-meta-settlement-what-changes/ https://goteckno.com/articles/breakdown-meta-settlement-what-changes/ Sat, 29 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Meta settled with 51 attorneys general eight days into trial, and the money is the least interesting part. The app is getting a two-hour limit, a midnight curfew, and one person who can override all of it. You. https://goteckno.com/articles/opinion-screen-time-rules-that-hold/ https://goteckno.com/articles/opinion-screen-time-rules-that-hold/ Sat, 29 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT You wrote it down, everyone agreed to it, and it worked for about six weeks. That's not a parenting failure — it's the documented shape of the thing. https://goteckno.com/articles/explainer-day-your-kid-asks-for-social-media/ https://goteckno.com/articles/explainer-day-your-kid-asks-for-social-media/ Sat, 22 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Every major platform draws the line at 13. That number comes from a privacy law, not a promise your kid is ready — and almost nobody actually checks if it's true. https://goteckno.com/articles/explainer-what-to-do-when-your-kid-sees-porn/ https://goteckno.com/articles/explainer-what-to-do-when-your-kid-sees-porn/ Sat, 22 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT The pediatricians who tell you to install a content filter also say they couldn't find research that it prevents exposure. Which leaves the first few minutes after — and those, you can actually prepare for. https://goteckno.com/articles/howto-setting-up-a-first-iphone-for-a-kid/ https://goteckno.com/articles/howto-setting-up-a-first-iphone-for-a-kid/ Sat, 22 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Nearly every setting here is a two-minute job on a phone nobody owns yet, and a negotiation on a phone that already has a case they picked out. https://goteckno.com/articles/explainer-what-to-give-a-kid-instead-of-a-smartphone/ https://goteckno.com/articles/explainer-what-to-give-a-kid-instead-of-a-smartphone/ Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT There's a whole category of watches and stripped-down phones built for kids who aren't ready for the real thing — priced anywhere from about $150 to $900, plus a monthly bill nobody mentions in the pitch. https://goteckno.com/articles/breakdown-app-store-carding-kids/ https://goteckno.com/articles/breakdown-app-store-carding-kids/ Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The Supreme Court let Texas's app-store age checks stay in force, and Apple and Google have already rewired the checkout line. Here's what those new approval prompts on your phone actually mean. https://goteckno.com/articles/breakdown-apple-child-safety-preview/ https://goteckno.com/articles/breakdown-apple-child-safety-preview/ Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Ask to Browse, Time Allowances, a rebuilt Screen Time, and content blurring that now catches gore. Here's what's coming this fall, and why it's the most useful Screen Time update in years. https://goteckno.com/articles/howto-five-question-test-ai-homework-apps/ https://goteckno.com/articles/howto-five-question-test-ai-homework-apps/ Sun, 21 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Some AI tools coach your kid through the work. Others just hand over the answer and a clean conscience. Here's how to tell them apart before you hit install. https://goteckno.com/articles/howto-the-screen-time-fight-is-rigged/ https://goteckno.com/articles/howto-the-screen-time-fight-is-rigged/ Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Every "turn it off" becomes a battle, and you keep losing. Turns out you're not fighting your kid — you're both fighting the people paid to make the app impossible to put down. https://goteckno.com/articles/howto-your-kid-wants-off-their-phone/ https://goteckno.com/articles/howto-your-kid-wants-off-their-phone/ Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Almost half of teens think they're on their phone too much, and a lot of them want help quitting. The catch: 'just use it less' is a trap the apps were built to win. https://goteckno.com/articles/explainer-school-chromebook-filtering-explainer/ https://goteckno.com/articles/explainer-school-chromebook-filtering-explainer/ Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Your kid's school Chromebook comes with content filtering managed by the district. Here's what that filtering actually does, where the gaps are, and why the one device you can't control might be the one that needs it most. https://goteckno.com/articles/opinion-stop-blaming-kids/ https://goteckno.com/articles/opinion-stop-blaming-kids/ Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Your child isn't addicted to their phone because they lack discipline. They're addicted because a team of engineers spent years making sure they would be. https://goteckno.com/articles/breakdown-meta-youtube-verdict/ https://goteckno.com/articles/breakdown-meta-youtube-verdict/ Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT A Los Angeles jury awarded $6 million after finding Meta and YouTube negligent for addictive design. The dollar amount isn't the story. The legal precedent is. https://goteckno.com/articles/opinion-parental-controls-are-not-parenting/ https://goteckno.com/articles/opinion-parental-controls-are-not-parenting/ Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT The parental control industry will hit $4 billion by 2034 — selling parents peace of mind while research quietly says the real safety net is a conversation you're probably not having. https://goteckno.com/articles/explainer-what-is-an-apple-account/ https://goteckno.com/articles/explainer-what-is-an-apple-account/ Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Your Apple Account is a single login that controls your entire digital world. Here's what it actually is — and why it matters more than you think. https://goteckno.com/articles/explainer-apple-family-sharing/ https://goteckno.com/articles/explainer-apple-family-sharing/ Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Apple Family Sharing is the system that connects your kid's iPhone to yours. Here's what it actually does, how the pieces fit together, and where it stops being useful. https://goteckno.com/articles/how-to-apple-screen-time-parental-controls/ https://goteckno.com/articles/how-to-apple-screen-time-parental-controls/ Wed, 18 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT You set a passcode, turned on a few limits, and felt like a responsible parent. Meanwhile, your kid discovered six workarounds before lunch. https://goteckno.com/articles/how-to-netflix-parental-controls/ https://goteckno.com/articles/how-to-netflix-parental-controls/ Mon, 16 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Netflix gives you a Kids profile and lets you think you're done. You're not. Here's the full breakdown — every setting, every gap. https://goteckno.com/articles/howto-disney-plus-parental-controls/ https://goteckno.com/articles/howto-disney-plus-parental-controls/ Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Deadpool lives three scrolls away from Bluey. Disney+ ships with zero parental controls turned on — here's how to fix that before your kid finds out.