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Understanding In-Person and Online Bullying in Canada
Bullying hasn’t disappeared in the digital age, but it has changed shape. While headlines often suggest cyberbullying is the biggest threat, Canadian research tells a more nuanced story. This article helps parents understand what the numbers actually mean, why definitions matter, and how online and in-person peer aggression really intersect in young people’s lives.
The White Hatter
14 hours ago5 min read


Roblox’s New Face-Scanning Age Verification and the Hidden Risks of Age-Gating: What Parents Need to Know
Roblox is rolling out face-scanning age verification that will soon be required to use chat, but the biometric analysis is handled by a third-party company backed by major investors. This update is framed as safety, yet it raises serious questions about data extraction, long-term privacy risks, and how age-gating laws could affect every family online.
The White Hatter
1 day ago6 min read


We Predict AI Is About to Disrupt Legacy Social Media: A New Paradigm With Real Benefits and Real Risks
AI is about to transform social media more than any new platform ever has. Instead of broadcasting posts into an algorithm, people will collaborate with AI inside shared conversations. This shift could create healthier, more supportive digital spaces, but it also raises big questions about privacy, bias, and dependency. Families will need new skills to guide youth through this next era.
The White Hatter
2 days ago5 min read


The Alpha and Omega of AI: Preparing Youth & Teens for Both
AI is reshaping the world our kids are growing up in, offering remarkable opportunities while raising serious questions about safety, ethics, and the pace of change. This article invites parents, caregivers, and educators to step back, look at both sides of AI, and consider how we can guide young people through a future shaped by tools that will influence how they learn, live, and thrive.
The White Hatter
2 days ago13 min read


Why We Believe New Age-Assurance Rules Will Create a New Wave of Phishing Scams Targeting Teens
New age-assurance rules on social media are creating confusion, and scammers are ready to exploit it. Teens who fear losing access to their accounts are especially vulnerable to convincing fake “verification” notices that steal passwords, IDs, and even facial data. Parents need to know how these scams work and how to help their teens spot them before they click.
The White Hatter
4 days ago4 min read


Young People Want a Say: Why Youth Must Be Included in Today’s Tech and AI Policy Decisions
Teens are the most digitally fluent generation in history, yet they’re often left out of the debates shaping the tech and AI systems that define their lives. While adults argue over risks, youth are asking for something simple: a real voice. They want safer access, smarter rules, and a seat at the table. If we want meaningful tech policy, it’s time to listen to them.
The White Hatter
4 days ago4 min read


What Parents and Caregivers Can Learn From the Teddy Ruxpin Craze of the 1980s, When It Comes to Today’s AI Toys.
Teddy Ruxpin once felt like the height of kid-tech, but today’s AI toys take that childhood magic to a level that can shape emotions, behaviour, and attachment in ways parents never had to consider. This article breaks down why yesterday’s harmless talking bear is nothing like the AI companions sitting on store shelves today.
The White Hatter
5 days ago6 min read


AI, Entry-Level Jobs, and the Future Our Kids Are Walking Into: What Parents, Youth, and Teens Need to Think About
AI is moving faster than any past tech shift, and entry-level jobs, the apprenticeships every career depends on, are at risk. Experts warn that half of early white-collar roles could disappear within five years. This leaves a real question for families: how do we prepare kids for a future where working with AI, not competing against it, becomes the new path to opportunity?
The White Hatter
6 days ago5 min read


What Parents Need to Know About “764”: A Violent Online Extremist Movement Targeting Vulnerable Youth
A violent online extremist movement is targeting vulnerable kids, and most parents have never heard of it. “764” uses sadistic manipulation, self-harm coercion, and youth-driven recruitment across Discord, Telegram, and gaming platforms. With recent arrests involving Canadian teens, parents need to understand how this group operates and how to protect their children before harm begins.
The White Hatter
7 days ago4 min read


When Lived Experience Collides With Research: Navigating the Tug-Of-War - Youth and Technology
Parents trust their instincts, shaped by real moments and stories, while research looks at bigger patterns that personal experience can miss. When those collide, decisions about phones, social media, and tech can feel confusing. This article shows why both perspectives matter and how combining evidence with what you know about your child leads to clear, confident, and safer choices.
The White Hatter
Nov 235 min read


Why Online Radicalization Deserves Every Parent’s Attention: The Rise Of The Neo-Nazi Recruiter
Online radicalization has shifted from fringe pamphlets to real-time recruitment in the same digital spaces where young people socialize. Extremist groups now use livestreams, chat apps, and gaming platforms to target teens directly, often when they’re alone in their bedrooms. Parents don’t need fear, but they do need awareness. Understanding how these groups operate is key to keeping kids safer online.
The White Hatter
Nov 194 min read


Why We Think Project Based Learning in Secondary Schools Is A practical Way To Overcome Today’s AI Concerns Around Learning and Assessment
AI is changing how students learn, but it doesn’t have to replace real thinking. Project based learning gives schools a way forward by focusing on creativity, collaboration, and problem solving rather than memorizing facts. When students build meaningful projects, they show their process, use AI responsibly, and develop skills that matter. It keeps learning human in an AI driven world.
The White Hatter
Nov 184 min read


We Do Not Recommend AI Toys This Christmas, and Here’s Why
AI toys are being marketed as this year’s must-have Christmas gift, but many parents don’t realize the risks behind the glowing screens. From age-inappropriate answers to hidden data collection and deep emotional attachment, today’s AI toys raise real safety and privacy concerns. Before you buy one, here’s why we do not recommend them this holiday season.
The White Hatter
Nov 175 min read


Protection Is a Byproduct of Education:Why Honest Conversations About Healthy Human Sexuality, Consent, and Online Risk Matter Now More Than Ever!
A high school invited us in with a bit of hesitation, unsure how students and parents would react to a frank conversation about sexting, sextortion, consent, and the law. Ninety minutes later the gym erupted in applause. Teens crowded around to thank us for treating them with honesty and respect, proving once again that real protection starts with real education.
The White Hatter
Nov 163 min read


AI and the Evolution of Human Hacking & Online Predation:
AI has taken “human hacking” to a new level. What once relied on clumsy phishing emails is now powered by tools that mimic voices, writing styles, and even faces with eerie precision. This article breaks down how AI supercharges social engineering, why the human element remains the weakest link, and what families can do to stay one step ahead.
The White Hatter
Nov 153 min read


Toy Story 5’s Villain is a Tablet, The Irony!
Toy Story 5 introduces a new villain, a talking tablet named LilyPad, and some adults are cheering. The film leans into a familiar fear that technology is stealing childhood, but history shows these panics rarely match reality. This article unpacks why the “tablet as villain” storyline says more about adult anxiety than it does about today’s kids.
The White Hatter
Nov 145 min read


Why Teens Are Turning to AI for Mental Health Support
A recent Nov 2025 study published in JAMA revealed a growing trend every parent and caregiver should pay attention to, that being teens and young adults are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence for emotional and mental health support. (1) The study reported that 13% of U.S. youth now use AI tools to talk about their mental health. Among young adults aged 18 to 21, that number climbs to 22%, and two-thirds of those users seek AI support at least once a month. Dr. E
TWH
Nov 133 min read


How a Compassionate, Scaffolded, Evidence-Based Approach Better Serves All Youth and Teens When It Comes To Technology
Calls to delay youth access to smartphones and social media until 14 or 16 often sound protective, but evidence shows they can backfire. Safety doesn’t come from age-based bans, it comes from guided exposure, education, and parental involvement. A scaffolded, compassionate approach builds digital competence and resilience, preparing all youth for the connected world they already live in.
The White Hatter
Nov 1215 min read


We Can’t Depend on App Store Ratings to Be Accurate
Parents often trust app store age ratings when deciding what their kids can download, but that trust may be misplaced. Research by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection found that many ratings fail to reflect real risks, leaving youth exposed to mature or unsafe content. Independent sources like Common Sense Media and UMASS’s App Danger Project offer clearer insight for safer choices.
The White Hatter
Nov 103 min read


False Equivalency Causes Moral Panic When It Comes To Youth & Technology : Two Case Studies
Two recent online claims sparked this article: one equating smartphone use with heroin addiction, another citing a non-existent “University of Vermont dopamine study.” Both fuel moral panic through false equivalency. Using neuroscience and fact-checking, The White Hatter explains why phone use triggers mild dopamine activity, not drug-level brain changes, and urges parents to separate facts from fear.
The White Hatter
Nov 96 min read
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