Google Docs is the modern notebook, but with a twist: it's also a backdoor social network.

For schoolwork, it's unbeatable. It teaches the kind of collaboration skills they'll actually use in the workforce. But don't be fooled by the 'it's just for school' vibe.

Middle schoolers are notorious for using shared docs as unmonitored chat rooms to bypass parental controls on apps like Discord or Snapchat. If your kid is 'doing homework' for three hours and the cursor is flying, they might just be hanging out in a digital treehouse. Keep the sharing settings tight and check the 'Version History' if you think something's up.