Plugged In Blog
On the Radar: Teens’ Adulting Worries, ‘Cigfluencers’ and AI Scammers
How to prepare your teen for adulthood. Why cigarette influencers are having a moment online. How to avoid human scammers using AI agents.
Conversations with Teens: ‘Maxximizing’ Your Trendiness
Social media is flooded with various “maxxing” trends promising to enhance health, beauty and wellness. But many pose serious risks to teens.
Movie Monday: ‘The Odyssey’ Earns a Golden Cow’s Worth of Money
‘The Odyssey’ refuses to hear the siren call, staying at the top of the box office to sock the money out of whatever audience comes to see it.
On the Radar: Apple and Google Nudify Apps, How Parental Screen Time Impacts Kids and WordPress Hackers
San Francisco orders Apple and Google to remove remaining ‘nudify’ apps from their app stores. Parental screen time can increase anxiety in children. Hackers exploit a WordPress issue to gain access to potentially millions of websites.
Conversations with Teens: When Your Teen Turns to AI Instead of You
Who ya gonna call with your problems? Maybe choose anything else but AI.
Five of the Best Board Games for Families
Looking for some family fun? Here are five board games of increasing complexity that you might want to try at the next game night!
Welcome to ‘RAMageddon’: How to Survive the Tech Industry’s Price Hikes
Have you heard of “RAMageddon?”No, it’s not a new Tron-meets-Mad Max-style sci-fi action flick. We’re living through it right now.
Movie Monday: ‘The Odyssey’ Slays at the Box Office
Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ sailed to an easy victory and made its competition look like they’d eaten too many lotus flowers.
On the Radar: Brown University AI Cheating, Meta Risks Massive Fines and ChatGPT Sycophancy Addiction
An Ivy League university scandal reignites AI cheating concerns. Meta faces yet another government fine. Sam Altman notes that some users rely on AI sycophancy.
Conversations with Teens: Ariana Grande and the Celebrity Weight Loss Debate
In 2025, Wicked: For Good (aka Wicked 2) released in theaters. Press junkets featuring the stars of the film—Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba—revealed that both women had lost quite a bit of weight.
About Us
Good media discernment is about guarding our eyes and hearts before we watch or listen. And it’s also about grappling with the entertainment we do see or hear. That’s why the Plugged In Blog is devoted to guarding, discussing and grappling. About Plugged In >>