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EMILY TSIAO

Emily studied film and writing when she was in college. And when she isn’t being way too competitive while playing board games, she enjoys food, sleep, and geeking out with her husband indulging in their “nerdoms,” which is the collective fan cultures of everything they love, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and Lord of the Rings.

Tech trends sends kids into screen addiction. Boy hiding under the covers late at night staring at his phone screen

Social Media Hazards, Mental Health Apps and Dark Patterns

TikTok: The shortform video app built on the backs of dancing, lip-syncing teenagers that has stirred up Congress, the Senate and, unsurprisingly, social media.

TicTok alternatives. Young teen holding up a phone with herself in the screen holding up a peace sign

Tech Trends: What Parents Need to Know About TikTok Alternatives

Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past few months, you already know that Congress voted in favor of a TikTok ban. Essentially, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, has 270 days to sell the app or have it prohibited on American app stores.

teen slang, and dumb phones. tween girl on her bed texting

Tech Trends: AI Cheating, ‘Dumb Phones’ and Teen Slang

This month: how to stop your child from using AI to cheat, why dumb phones might be a smart screen-time solution, and a list of tween and teen slang

Tech Trends: ‘Bad Science’ Videos, AI on YouTube Kids, and ‘SkinTok’

Each month, Plugged In publishes a blog with the latest technology and social media trends.

little girl watching netflix with parental controls

Netflix: How to Use Your Parental Controls

We can’t always trust they are watching something wholesome.