Ontario is currently in an election campaign and the entire country will have a federal election at some point this year as well (the exact date is yet to be determined).  As a parent, elections pose a valuable time to have discussions with kids about the privilege of voting, the ways democracy works, how the Canadian government functions, how political advertising works, why sharing accurate info about politics matters and more. 

I probably could, and maybe should, write about all of the social media changes we are seeing. The troubling updates to Meta’s content moderation policies and the removal of their fact-checking program, the complicated TikTok ban in the US, all of it.

The holiday season is meant to be a time of joy, comfort, and togetherness. However, we also know it brings about stress too. It can be far too easy to get swept up in shopping and buying, and so the season can leave us feeling far too Grinch-like (before his heart grew in size, of course).

Last month, I wrote an article about how I felt as though movie soundtracks aren’t as popular as they used to be. Sure, some do well via streaming services, but once upon a time, many of us were collecting soundtracks to play over and over again (likely while we also had the movie poster on our bedroom walls).

Image

Which movie soundtracks did you own when you were younger? Do you still stream them or purchase them?

Instagram just announced that they are introducing Teen Accounts - with security features built in, parental controls and more. They tell us it’s for parental peace of mind. Will these new features make it safer for kids? And will they help this parent with their peace of mind?

Advertising has been constant for years even when it shows up in different media. But are people becoming more conscious of ads (especially with efforts to not target kids) or has the integration of ads into social media and influencer marketing made them harder to spot?

A few years ago, I mostly stopped using filters on my Instagram photos and stories. I had been using ones that weren’t intentionally changing the way I looked - or at least, I wasn’t trying too hard for that. I was selecting ones that bettered my lighting or made me look less tired.

If you are a parent and you’ve been thinking of starting a blog, writing for parenting magazines, or becoming a social media influencer in the parent sphere, keep reading.

While tech has become integrated in the lives of parents and teens, there are positives and negatives that come with it. One problem? When our handheld devices affect our sleep – and this is a particular issue for teens.