Technology

How Verge readers, and writers, are managing our kids’ screen time

Published

2 months ago

October 12, 2025

How Verge readers, and writers, are managing our kids’ screen time

This week the Pew Research Center published a study about how parents managed screen time for their kids 12 and under. The results were not particularly surprising (or enlightening, if we’re being honest). A full 90 percent of parents said their children watched TV, and 61 percent said their kids interact with smartphones at least on occasion. Somewhat surprisingly, only 50 percent said they let them play a game console of some kind. While 42 percent of respondents said they could do better managing their kids’ screen time, 86 percent did say they had rules around screens, even if they didn’t always stick to them.

What you won’t find in the Pew study, however, are what those rules are. That a certain percentage of parents “ever” let their kids watch TV doesn’t tell us useful information like, how long they watch, what they watch, or how parents are making sure they’re not watching anything inappropriate.

With my eight-year-old we’ve implemented a sort of barter system that I borrowed from Greg McKeown, author of Essentialism. They start each week with 10 tokens, worth a total of $5 or five-hours of screen time. They can earn additional time or money by reading. How they use that time is largely up to them, they can play Minecraft or watch shows on their children’s accounts on Disney+, Netflix, or Paramount+. They also have access to a few music making apps and games on their iPad. But we don’t allow them unfettered access to the iPad.

Lest you think that I rule my kids’ screen time with an iron first, my youngest gets an hour of (mostly educational) TV a day, just so we can help the oldest with their homework in peace. And every Saturday we have family movie night, and we take turns picking what we watch that week.

It also turns out that how much time kids spend in front of a screen isn’t the biggest concern. Time limits were common, but not universal.

That seemed to be parents’ biggest concern, what kids did with their screen time. Social media was a major concern, with 80 percent of respondents to the Pew survey saying it did more harm than good. Somewhat shockingly, 15 percent said their kids used TikTok, though usage of other platforms like Instagram and Facebook were much less common, only 5 percent. 74 percent did say they watched YouTube with their children, while only 15 percent said their kids didn’t watch YouTube at all.

In terms of tools for managing time, good old taking the device away or pressing the power button, was the most popular. Though some use Apple’s Screen Time tool to limit iPad usage specifically.

Phones weren’t common with younger kids. The Pew survey found that only 29 percent of parents allowed their 8 to 10 year-old to have their own smartphone. But, once kids hit their teens, they become more common.

Remember, there’s no right answer for how to raise your kids. What works for one parent, might not for another. We’re all just doing the best we can. Or at least 58 percent of us think we are, according to Pew.

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Technology

Stranger Things 5 begins with a frantic race to the finish line

Published

13 hours ago

November 26, 2025

Press Room

Stranger Things 5 begins with a frantic race to the finish line

It has been a decade since the Stranger Things phenomenon began, and the Duffer brothers had had ample time to craft a strong finish to their breakout hit series. But the beginning of the show’s fifth and final season feels like a frantic race to the end.

While Stranger Things wasn’t Netflix’s first breakout hit, it catapulted the streamer to a new level of pop cultural prominence by telling a wildly captivating story that got everyone talking. Modern day nostalgia for the ‘80s never really went away, but Stranger Things kicked off a new wave of shows and movies that made it feel like other studios were doing everything in their power to re-create the Duffer Brothers’ success. Stranger Things was a momentous phenomenon that didn’t show many signs of losing steam over the course of its first few seasons.

By season 4, though, the show’s new episodes were releasing at a much slower rate thanks to production delays caused by the covid-19 pandemic. While the larger Stranger Things franchise was growing with a stage show and plans for an animated spinoff, after the 2023 writers strike led to even more delays, it felt like Netflix might have a tough time getting everyone excited to go back to Hawkins for the core series’ final season.

In the first four episodes of Stranger Things 5, you can feel the Duffer Brothers trying to address past production issues that were beyond their control while also exploring narrative ideas they had mapped out long before the series began airing. Though this season picks right back up where the last left off, it’s peppered with details that emphasize how much time has passed in the real world since we last saw these characters.

The younger cast looks and feels much older in ways that can’t exactly be attributed to sudden growth spurts. And characters have a tendency to speak to each other in quippy bits of exposition as if they know that people who need their memories jogged are watching. Those elements of Stranger Things 5 call for a suspension of disbelief that feels reasonable given all the external factors that kept this season from debuting more quickly.

Though a lot has changed about Hawkins in the months since it was almost entirely torn apart by the Upside Down, most people are still able to go about their everyday lives. Everyone remembers how earth-shaking interdimensional energy cracked the streets wide open. But they try not to think about what went down now that the damage has been mostly covered with massive sheets of metal.

Aside from the compulsory medical checkups and a military-enforced quarantine that keeps civilians from leaving town, things feel relatively normal to people unfamiliar with Vecna.

(Jamie Campbell Bower) and his many Demogorgons. But for Eleven / Jane (Millie Bobby Brown), Hopper (David Harbour), and the rest of their crew, the unnatural calm is a sign of how much more dangerous things are about to become.

In order to remind you how this winding story began and to emphasize what kinds of monsters Stranger Things‘ heroes are up against, the new season spends much more time with Will Byers (Noah Schnapp). Will insists on playing a larger role in the teens’ plans to take their fight to Vecna in the present, but the show also jumps back to the past to explore what happened to the boy when he was first dragged into the Upside Down in season one. As disturbing (in a good way) and impressive as many of this season’s otherworldly set pieces and VFX are, the Will-focused flashbacks featuring a new child actor superimposed with Schnapp’s de-aged face undercut some of the show’s fantasy. Similar to the show’s previous experiments in de-aging its quickly growing stars, the effect doesn’t quite work on a visual level. But it does give you a sense that the Duffers really want this season to feel like it’s bringing certain characters’ stories full circle.

You can feel that same desire at work as the show cuts to missing child posters of a younger Eleven before revealing that she has actually been hiding out in the woods with Hopper and training to use her powers in combat. Hop — originally introduced as a drunken mess in season 1 — knows that his adoptive daughter isn’t a little girl anymore. He and Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) both understand that Eleven might be their only hope of defeating Vecna for good, but it’s hard for them to accept her willingness to risk her life.

(L to R) Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers, and Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson.

Image: Netflix

Stranger Things has always had a massive cast of lead characters and done a (mostly) solid job of weaving together their plotlines in ways that felt organic. But because this season is so focused on giving everyone one last hurrah, the show quickly starts to feel a little too busy for its own good.

The season bounces between Hopper family drama, school troubles for the Hellfire Club’s other remaining members (Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Priah Ferguson) and a fraught love triangle between some of the older teens. Beats like the growing friendship between Will and Robin (Maya Hawke) have to move relatively fast because the show only has so much time. And things get even more hectic as Stranger Things 5 gives new prominence to Mike’s younger sister Holly (Nell Fisher) and her foulmouthed classmate Derek (Jake Connelly).

While Stranger Things 5 tries to flesh out some of its players further, it often feels like the show is coasting on the assumption that you still know and love these characters enough that simply seeing their plots wrapped up is enough to make for a satisfying story. After all this time spent in the pipeline, though, what Stranger Things needs to really stick the landing is a final chapter that works as its own compelling narrative. The show might be able to pull that off in its final four episodes if it can slow down and really lean into the kind of emotional drama that made Stranger Things such a knockout in its earlier seasons. But with this season already halfway over, Stranger Things 5 is going to have its work cut out for it.

Stranger Things 5 also stars Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Brett Gelman, Cara Buono, Amybeth McNulty, and Linda Hamilton. The first four episodes are now streaming, the next three debut on December 25th, and the finale premieres on December 31st.

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Charles Pulliam-Moore

Technology

New scam sends fake Microsoft 365 login pages

Published

14 hours ago

November 26, 2025

Press Room

New scam sends fake Microsoft 365 login pages

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Attackers have a new tool that targets Microsoft 365 users at a massive scale.

Security researchers say a phishing platform called Quantum Route Redirect, or QRR, is behind a growing wave of fake login pages hosted on nearly 1,000 domains. These pages look real enough to fool many users while also slipping past some automated scanners.

QRR runs realistic email lures that mimic DocuSign requests, payment notices, voicemail alerts or QR-code prompts. Each message routes victims to a fake Microsoft 365 login page built to harvest usernames and passwords. The kit often lives on parked or compromised legitimate domains that add a false sense of safety for anyone who clicks.

Researchers tracked QRR in 90 countries. About 76% of attacks hit US users. That scale makes QRR one of the largest phishing operations active right now.

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Attackers use fake Microsoft security alerts to trick people into entering their Microsoft 365 passwords. (Chona Kasinger/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

A fast follow to other major Microsoft credential attacks

QRR appeared soon after Microsoft disrupted a major phishing network known as RaccoonO365. That service sold ready-made Microsoft login copies used to steal more than 5,000 sets of credentials, including accounts tied to over 20 US healthcare organizations. Subscribers paid as little as $12 a day to send thousands of phishing emails.

Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit later shut down 338 related websites and identified Joshua Ogundipe from Nigeria as the operator. Investigators tied him to the phishing code and a crypto wallet that earned more than $100,000. Microsoft and Health-ISAC have since filed a lawsuit in New York that accuses him of multiple cybercrime violations.

Other recent examples include kits like VoidProxy, Darcula, Morphing Meerkat and Tycoon2FA. QRR builds on these tools with automation, bot filtering and a dashboard that helps attackers run large campaigns fast.

What makes QRR so effective

QRR uses about 1,000 domains. Many are real sites that were parked or compromised, which helps the pages pass as legitimate. The URLs also follow a predictable pattern that can look normal to users at a glance.

The kit includes automated filtering that detects bots. It sends scanners to harmless pages and sends real people to the credential-harvesting site. Attackers can manage campaigns inside a control panel that logs traffic and activity. These features let them scale up quickly without technical skill.

Security analysts say organizations can no longer depend on URL scanning alone. Layered defenses and behavioral analysis have become essential for spotting threats that use domain rotation and automated evasion.

Microsoft was contacted by CyberGuy for comment but did not have anything to add at this time.

HACKERS FIND A WAY AROUND BUILT-IN WINDOWS PROTECTIONS

Why this matters for Microsoft 365 users

When attackers get your Microsoft 365 login, they can see your email, grab files and even send new phishing messages that look like they came from you. That can create a chain reaction that spreads fast. This is why the steps below all work together to block these threats before they turn into something bigger.

Steps to stay safe from QRR and other Microsoft 365 phishing attacks

Use these simple actions to shrink the risk from fake Microsoft 365 pages and look-alike emails.

1) Check the sender before you click

Take a second to look at who the email is really from. A slight misspelling, an unexpected attachment or wording that feels off is a big clue the message may be fake.

2) Hover over links first

Before you open any link, hover your mouse over it to preview the URL. If it does not lead to the official Microsoft login page or looks odd in any way, skip it.

3) Turn on multifactor authentication (MFA)

MFA adds an extra layer adds an extra layer that makes it much harder for attackers to break in even if they have your password. Use options like app-based codes or hardware keys so phishing kits cannot bypass them.

4) Use a data removal service

Attackers often gather personal details from data broker sites to craft convincing phishing emails. A trusted data removal service scrubs your information from these sites, which cuts down on targeted scams and makes it harder for criminals to tailor fake Microsoft alerts that look real.

While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren’t cheap, and neither is your privacy. These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It’s what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you.

QRR hides its phishing pages across nearly 1,000 domains, making the fake login screens look convincing at first glance. (Microsoft)

Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.

Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com.

5) Update your browser and apps

Keep everything on your device up to date. Updates seal off security holes that attackers often rely on when building phishing kits like QRR.

6) Never click unknown links and use strong antivirus software

If you need to visit a sensitive site, type the address into your browser instead of tapping a link. Strong antivirus tools also help by warning you about fake websites and blocking scripts that phishing kits use to steal login details.

The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.

Get my picks for the best 2025 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.

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7) Use advanced spam filtering

Most email providers offer stronger filtering settings that block risky messages before they reach you. Turn on the highest level your account allows to keep more fake Microsoft alerts out of your inbox.

8) Watch for login alerts

Turn on Microsoft account sign-in notifications so you get an alert anytime someone tries to access your account. To do this, sign in to your Microsoft account online, open Security, choose Advanced security options and switch on Sign-in alerts for any suspicious activity.

Strong sign-in alerts and phishing-resistant MFA help block these scams before criminals can take over your account. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Kurt’s key takeaways

QRR is a reminder of how quickly scammers change their tactics. Tools like this make it easy for criminals to send huge waves of fake Microsoft emails that look real at first glance. The good news is that a few smart habits can put you a step ahead. When you add stronger sign-in protection, turn on alerts and stay aware of the newest tricks, you make it much harder for attackers to sneak in.

Do you think most people can tell the difference between a real Microsoft login page and a fake one, or have phishing kits become too convincing? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

Poco partners with Bose to put a subwoofer in its latest phone

Published

1 day ago

November 26, 2025

Press Room

Poco partners with Bose to put a subwoofer in its latest phone

Xiaomi spin-off brand Poco has partnered with Bose to help its new F8 phones stand out in an increasingly crowded market. Both the F8 Pro and F8 Ultra feature stereo speakers designed collaboratively with the audio company, and the Ultra goes one step further by including a subwoofer too.

Both new F8 phones feature the same dual stereo speakers tuned by Bose, though you’ll have to buy the Ultra if you want the benefits of the subwoofer as well, which Poco says delivers “deeper, more impactful bass.” Additionally, there are two sound profiles tuned by Bose engineers: a Dynamic mode that delivers extra bass, and a Balanced option that emphasizes vocals and a more even soundstage.

“By combining Bose’s expertise in acoustic engineering with Poco’s innovation in design and technology, Poco F8 Series achieves a level of clarity and depth that redefines what’s possible in mobile sound,” said Nick Smith, president of audio technology and chief strategy officer at Bose.

The two phones are otherwise fairly typical affordable flagships. The F8 Ultra has a more powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, with a large 6.9-inch OLED display, triple 50-megapixel rear camera, and wireless charging. The F8 Pro uses last year’s Snapdragon 8 Elite, a smaller 6.59-inch screen, and downgrades to each of the three rear lenses. Both have IP68 ratings though, plus batteries bigger than 6,000mAh, which should deliver decent longevity.

The F8 Pro starts from $579, while the Ultra is available from $729, though a $50 early bird discount is available at launch. The two phones were announced alongside a pair of sub-$400 tablets, the Pad X1 and Pad M1, both of which lean on high resolution displays and Dolby Atmos speakers to serve as good value entertainment options.