The White Hatter

01/04/2026

A great read from Dr Julian Grenier which shines a light on intention and context vs modality when it comes to toddlers and technology that was posted on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/early-years-research-evidence-5-quick-reads-dr-julian-grenier-cbe-q1lie/?trackingId=4uiIkARX6m3AzBxj9g038Q%3D%3D

For those who don't have linked in, we have copied and pasted a segment that we think is most relevant

"The papers cover the impact of TV-viewing and using electronic devices (including those with touch screens). The authors consider all these digital technologies as cultural tools, shaping how children experience and make sense of the world, including their early language and literacy. I've summarized the findings below, but this is a rich and detailed paper that's well worth reading in full.

Watching TV affects language development in children under three more through programme quality, age-appropriateness, and parent interaction than screen time alone. Low parent-child interaction is linked to delays whilst moderate, high-quality viewing supports vocabulary growth. Excessive or unsupervised TV watching correlates with poorer outcomes. This especially affects children from economically disadvantaged families.

Video calls provide young children with opportunities to maintain family connections and can support joint visual attention and language learning. Research shows that frequent, high-quality video chats can foster intergenerational bonds and promote bilingual development. When mediated well by adults, video calls can help children learn new words as effectively as face-to-face interactions.

Musical play apps and tech-based music activities are often enjoyed by children and parents together. They foster social interaction, creativity, and operational skills. ‘Rich musical interactions and experiences were found to facilitate early language outcomes and enhance early communication skills among premature infants, who are considered at risk of language delays, thus acting as a protective factor for them.’

Child media use and literacy Digital technologies can support emergent literacy skills such as early writing, symbolic representation, and story comprehension. Tablets can encourage sustained mark-making. E-books can aid word learning when well-designed and paired with traditional reading. Positive outcomes depend on active adult mediation through 'Joint Media Engagement'. ‘Evidence suggests that longer screen exposure in low-SES families may increase risks of language delays, whereas co-viewing and interactive engagement can act as protective factors, and computer or mobile use may support language development through higher-quality adult-child interactions’

The authors comment that 'research highlights that home environments for infants and toddlers are increasingly technology-rich, integrating both traditional and digital media.'

They add that 'significant digital divides persist across socio-economic, geographic, and global contexts. While many parents value technology for its educational benefits and co-use devices to support literacy, surveys reveal that in some homes, digital media use far outweighs print reading, with many toddlers rarely read to and lacking books.’

Public concerns

The authors acknowledge the public concerns about the impact of screentime on children's development. They also discuss 'the risks of children engaging with social media applications and their exposure to algorithm-based content. In the research literature, there is a significant body of largely quantitative work evidencing upwards trends in very young children’s TV- and video-viewing on both large-screen, static and small-screen mobile devices, and associations have been made between increased child ‘screentime’ and delayed language development.'

Additionally, they query whether current ways of researching children's use of tech acknowledge the connected nature of 21st century life. Do current ways of thinking place too much emphasis on the idea of the individual person and their agency, and not enough emphasis on the role of nonhuman agents like tech devices and apps?

In keeping with the often-positive tone of the review, the authors note that 'scholars argue for reconceptualizing the Home Literacy Environment (HLE) as a digitally networked space, where intergenerational practices and multimodal communication—including text, emojis, and bilingual interactions—shape children’s early literacy experiences and social relationships.'

01/04/2026

Part 2 - "The Power Of Plausibility: That Explains Everything"

Caveat: This article is the second instalment in our three-part series, “Why We Push Back Hard Against the Prevailing Narrative and Advocate for a More Balanced Approach.” (1)

Increasingly, we are seeing headlines and articles warning that technology is “damaging kids’ brains” or that screens are putting an entire generation at risk. These claims spread quickly because they trigger fear, and fear is powerful when parents are trying to protect their children or when narratives are used to advance a political agenda. The result is often confusion, guilt, and the feeling that simply allowing a child to use technology is a failure of parenting.

This article breaks down two recent, real examples where evidence was stretched or oversimplified, leaving parents with panic instead of clarity. Facts matter more than fear. https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/the-power-of-plausibility-that-explains-everything

01/03/2026

Over the next three days, we will will publish 3 articles, that will unpack how persuasive but misleading narratives take hold in conversations about kids, technology, and online safety. We start by examining the art of the flim-flam and how confidence can be mistaken for evidence. In the second article, we break down a widely shared claim about youth and technology to show why scrutiny matters. The final article connects these patterns to well-established psychological influence techniques used to shape public perception.

Our first article, "Extraordinary Claims: The Tactic Of The Flim-Flam" https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/extraordinary-claims-the-tactic-of-the-flim-flam-a-three-part-series

01/02/2026

Was your child gifted a cellphone this Christmas? Don't foget about this FREE in-depth resource on how to make the device safer for your child, as well as some thoughts for parents and caregivers on some parenting strategies

Mobile devices are portable, internet-connected electronic tools that allow users to communicate, access information, create content, and use applications from almost anywhere.

01/02/2026

From “Bullshido” to “Screen-Scare-Do”: When Confidence Replaces Evidence in Digital Literacy and Online Safety

In martial arts, there is a well known term for fake expertise, it is known colloquially as “bullshido”. It describes systems that look impressive, sound authoritative, and promise protection, but collapse the moment they are tested against reality. The techniques are often wrapped in jargon, dramatic demonstrations, and appeals to what they claim to be techniques based on scientifically proven fact. The danger is not just that they do not work, the danger is that people trust them when it matters most.

We see a similar pattern has quietly emerged in parts of digital literacy and internet safety advocacy. We call it “Screen-Scare-Do.”

To read our full article on this topic, click this link https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/from-bullshido-to-screen-scare-do-when-confidence-replaces-evidence-in-digital-literacy-and-onl

01/01/2026

Happy New Year - New Teen Interview Is Up

Too often, conversations about youth, technology, and social media focus only on risks and harms. In this episode of our ongoing interview series, we shift that narrative and spotlight how teens are using technology creatively, responsibly, and for real-world impact.

We are joined by Adam Braford, a Grade 11 student from North Vancouver, British Columbia, who developed an AI-powered app capable of detecting potentially cancerous skin lesions using on-device machine learning. At just 15 years old, Adam built the project using Apple’s Core ML framework, trained it on dermatologist datasets, and achieved approximately 93% accuracy, earning him recognition as a winner of the Apple Swift Student Challenge.

Adam also shares practical advice for students interested in coding and AI, thoughtful insights for parents concerned about screen time, and why technology (like any tool) can be used for both good and harm, depending on how it’s taught and supported.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mxmeQgpIM8

Too often, conversations about youth, technology, and social media focus only on risks and harms. In this episode of our ongoing interview series, we shift t...

12/31/2025

When AI Moves Faster Than Truth - Youth & Teen Onlife Survival Skills for 2026

We are entering a period where artificial intelligence is improving faster than our collective ability to verify what it produces. This is not a future concern, it is already shaping how information is created, shared, and believed. For parents, caregivers, and educators, this represents a major tipping point. The skills young people need to navigate the digital world safely and competently are changing, and the margin for error is shrinking.

In the past, one component of digital literacy focused on spotting fake websites, understanding ads, or questioning sensational headlines. Those skills still matter, but they are no longer sufficient on their own. AI can now generate realistic videos, convincing audio, fabricated screenshots, and emotionally charged narratives at a scale and speed we have never seen before. The result is an online environment where trust is harder to earn and easier to exploit.

To read our full article on this topic, and why critical thinking and intentional slowing down are no longer optional, click this link https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/when-ai-moves-faster-than-truth-youth-teen-onlife-survival-skills-for-2026

12/30/2025

A White Hatter Prediction Moving into 2026:

For more than a decade, the dominant goal of social media was simple, maximize profit through the “attention economy” . Platforms competed for clicks, likes, watch time, and streaks. Success was measured by how long someone stayed and how often they came back. That model shaped everything from interface design to notification systems to recommendation algorithms.

We here at the White Hatter believe that we are now entering a different onlife model, something that we have called “Social AI”.

As we move into 2026, a fundamental shift is taking place beneath our digital lives. Technology is no longer competing only for attention. It is beginning to build attachment, context, and emotional reliance through AI-driven design. This change carries serious implications for youth, families, and educators, and it demands a new way of thinking about safety, responsibility, and digital literacy.

To read our article on this important shift, click this link https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/a-white-hatter-prediction-moving-into-2026

12/30/2025

Message Your Member Of Parliament, Your Senator, and The Prime Minister’s Office - Reintroduction Bill C-63 “Online Harms Act”

A Call To Action For All Canadian Parents and Caregivers

Canada is preparing to reintroduce Bill C-63, the Online Harms Act, in early 2026. As pressure grows to follow Australia’s age-gating model, this article explains why age limits alone miss the real issue. True online safety requires Safety-by-Design legislation that holds platforms accountable for how they are built, how data is used, and how risk is amplified, especially in the age of AI.

To read the full article and access a ready-to-use email template you can send to your Member of Parliament, your Senator, and the Prime Minister’s Office regarding this upcoming legislation, please click this link https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/message-your-member-of-parliament-your-senator-and-the-prime-minister-s-office-reintroduction-bi

12/29/2025

We speak with Harry Nickerson, a 15-year-old Halifax teen proving tech can be purpose-driven. Living with retinitis pigmentosa, he turned a tough diagnosis into action by building a Raspberry Pi retinal camera and training AI to screen eye images for disease signs. His message to peers: get curious, adapt early, and use AI to build, not just scroll. Harry is another great example of a teen using technology, the internet, and social media in a positive way!

We speak with Harry Nickerson, a 15-year-old Halifax teen proving tech can be purpose-driven. Living with retinitis pigmentosa, he turned a tough diagnosis i...

12/29/2025

A Teachable Incident for Parents and Caregivers:

Caveat - we have permission from the parent we interacted with to share this story. We have redacted any information that would identify the family, the teen, or their location in the world. Big Tip of our White Hat to this parent for allowing us to share this story to help other parents and caregivers who follow us.

Today, we supported a parent who discovered that their young teen had been sending intimate images of themselves to someone in another country who claimed to be an older teen. The situation came to light because the child’s friends were concerned enough to alert the parent we were helping. That detail matters.

This was not a case of a disengaged family or absent guidance. This was a household that had spent years talking about and compounding the message of digital literacy and online safety with their child. Expectations had been clearly communicated through ongoing conversations, and reinforced with a family agreement outlining responsibilities around technology use.

From the outside, we would describe this as a family that “did everything right.”

The young teen involved was an only child, experienced anxiety, had a small social circle, and may have been on the autism spectrum. At the same time, they were high functioning, thoughtful, and had demonstrated responsibility in many areas of their life. There had been no prior reason to believe they would make unsafe choices online.

Like many families today, this household had integrated technology into daily life. The teen had access to a smartphone, tablet, and laptop for both school and personal use. Devices were allowed in the bedroom, based on trust, demonstrated responsibility, and the belief that privacy was appropriate for a maturing child.

When we spoke with the parent, the emotional weight was clear. Their first reaction was not anger, but self-blame and shame. They questioned their decisions and wondered where they had failed as a parent, despite years of thoughtful parenting and preparation. We spent time acknowledging and working through their emotional response, helping them process the feelings of self-blame and disappointment they were carrying. The reaction from this parent is common, however, it is also misplaced.

This incident is not rare. We have supported many families with nearly identical circumstances, strong values, engaged parenting, clear rules, and a child who was generally responsible. In each case, a single gap created an opportunity for something harmful to occur.

That does not mean parents were negligent or wilfully blind. It means that digital environments introduce risks that are not always visible, predictable, or aligned with how a child behaves offline.

This situation offers several important learning points for all parents and caregivers. So what can we learn from this Incident:

Peers can be digital first responders.

In this case, friends recognized that something felt wrong and took action. When young people are encouraged to look out for one another and are told that speaking up is an act of care, not betrayal, they can become a powerful protective factor. In this case it likely prevented a worse outcome.

Education does not equal immunity.

A youth or teen can understand online safety, know the rules, and still make risky decisions. Emotional needs, loneliness, curiosity, validation, or manipulation can override knowledge in the moment. This is not a failure of education. It is a reality of youth and teen behaviour.

Privacy increases opportunity.

Private, unsupervised access to internet connected devices significantly raises the likelihood of misuse. This is not about mistrust or punishment. It is about understanding how access and environment shape behaviour, especially during early adolescence.

One gap can matter.
Parents can do many things well and their child can still experience a harmful outcome. Digital safety works in layers. When one layer is removed, even temporarily, it can create space for exploitation or poor judgment.

Believing “my child would never” is understandable, but risky.

Many parents who face situations like this believed their child would not engage in this type of behaviour. That belief is rooted in love and trust, but it can unintentionally reduce vigilance.

Teachable incidents like this are not about blame. They are about shared learning. They remind us that online risk is not reserved for “other families” or “problem kids.” It exists at the intersection of access, opportunity, emotional vulnerability, and human development.

Supporting youth in digital spaces requires ongoing engagement, adaptive boundaries, and an understanding that safety is not static. It evolves as children grow, technology changes, and new pressures emerge.

The most important takeaway is this, “a difficult outcome does not erase years of good parenting. It simply highlights where families, educators, and communities can continue to learn together.”

If we treat these moments as opportunities to strengthen awareness rather than assign fault, we give parents and caregivers something far more useful than guilt. We give them clarity.

We have now provided this parent with a suggested course of action as to what to do next, which they were extremely thankful for.

Again, thank you to this parent for allowing us to share this article with all the parents, caregivers, and educators who follow us here on this page!

Digital Food For Thought

The White Hatter

Facts Not Fear, Facts Not Emotions, Enlighten Not Frighten, Know Tech No Not Tech

Postscript:

This particular incident did not escalate into sextortion, and that distinction matters. At the same time, the circumstances closely mirror what we have seen in more than 350 cases where sextortion did occur and where we supported both teens and their families after harm had already taken place.

Across those cases, the pattern was strikingly consistent.

The young person was alone, most often late in the evening or at night. They were in a private space, typically a bedroom or bathroom. They had access to an internet connected device, whether a phone, laptop, tablet, or gaming console. There was no immediate adult presence or awareness of what was happening in that moment.

This combination does not cause harm on its own, but it does create opportunity. Privacy, fatigue, emotional vulnerability, and unfiltered access to online communication increase the likelihood of poor decisions, manipulation, or exploitation, even among youth and teens who are otherwise responsible and well educated about online safety.

If there is one practical step that consistently reduces risk across all age groups, it is this, keep internet connected devices out of bedrooms and bathrooms. This is not about punishment or mistrust. It is about changing the environment in a way that supports better decision making and reduces exposure during the most vulnerable hours of the day.

Open spaces naturally create pauses. They invite accountability without confrontation. They lower the likelihood of secrecy driven behaviour and make it easier for youth to ask questions or seek help before something escalates.

12/28/2025

AI Is No Longer a Tool Youth, Teens, and Even Adults Opt Into.

Something fundamental is changing beneath our digital feet. This is not simply a moment where there is “more AI.” Artificial intelligence is being built directly into the core infrastructure of the tools youth, teens, and even adults already rely on. When that happens, AI stops functioning like an optional feature and begins operating like an environment.

AI is no longer something youth, teens, or families simply choose to use. It is becoming the environment they move through. Built into devices, platforms, and defaults, AI now shapes how information is accessed and decisions are made. This article explores what that shift means for families, why opt-out is harder than it appears, and how parents, caregivers, and educators can help youth learn to think with AI rather than quietly hand their thinking over to it.

To read our full article click this link https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/ai-is-no-longer-a-tool-youth-teens-and-even-adults-opt-into