The White Hatter

11/23/2025

More giveaway items are coming for our FREE special holiday live event, “2025 Family Tech Gift Safety Guide,” on November 25th at 6 PM PST | 9 PM EST.

Pinwheel Phone

Join us live on Tuesday as we have partnered with smartphone-alternatives, parenting apps, and other trusted professionals we’ve previously worked with and reviewed to bring you some exciting giveaways during this FREE live event!

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1972847108810

11/23/2025

When Lived Experience Collides With Research: Navigating the Tug-Of-War - Youth and Technology

Parents and caregivers care deeply about their children’s safety and wellbeing as do we here at the White Hatter. That care often comes with strong instincts shaped by personal experience, community stories, and what they see happening around them which can not be ignored. These experiences matter. They help parents and caregivers stay alert, spot problems early, and speak up when something feels wrong. The challenge is that personal experience does not always line up neatly with what high-quality peer reviewed research shows. This tension can make decisions about technology, social media, and youth behaviour feel complicated.

This article explores why that gap exists, why both experience and research matter, and how parents can use both to make balanced decisions that respect their child’s needs.

To read the full article click this link https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/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 evide...

11/22/2025

We got some more giveaways to announce for our upcoming special holiday live event, “2025 Family Tech Gift Safety Guide,” on November 25th at 6 PM PST | 9 PM EST.

Mighty Music Player

Join us live on Tuesday as we have partnered with smartphone-alternatives, parenting programs, and other trusted professionals we’ve previously worked with and reviewed to bring you some exciting giveaways during this FREE live event!

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1972847108810

11/21/2025

Here’s another sneak peek of a giveaway coming up during our special holiday live event, “2025 Family Tech Gift Safety Guide,” on November 25th at 6 PM PST | 9 PM EST.

Sunbeam Horizon Phone

Join us live on Tuesday as we have partnered with smartphone-alternatives, parenting programs, and other trusted professionals we’ve previously worked with and reviewed to bring you some exciting giveaways during this FREE live event!

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1972847108810

11/20/2025

Here’s a sneak peek of a giveaway coming up during our special holiday live event, “2025 Family Tech Gift Safety Guide,” on November 25th at 6 PM PST | 9 PM EST.

Cosmo JrTrack Watch

Join us live on Tuesday as we have partnered with smartphone-alternatives, parenting apps, and other trusted professionals we’ve previously worked with and reviewed to bring you some exciting giveaways during this FREE live event!

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1972847108810

11/19/2025

Roblox to require face ID age scan checks to chat in 2026. Why? Will this be effective? and privacy?

11/19/2025

Why Online Radicalization Deserves Every Parent’s Attention: The Rise Of The Neo-Nazi Recruiter

At The White Hatter, we have always been committed to speaking honestly about both the benefits and the risks that come with technology, the internet, and social media. Parents, caregivers, and educators often ask us what we see as the most pressing online dangers facing youth and teens. Many know the familiar threats: such as online predation and exploitation, exposure to po*******hy, sextortion, digital peer aggression, sexism, misogyny, drugs, and the growing influence of the manosphere.

All of these issues matter. Yet, if we had to identify one threat that increasingly demands our focused attention, it is the rise of online radicalization, and the way extremist and hate-based groups are now using digital platforms to recruit, manipulate, and influence youth.

To read out full article on this topic, click this link https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/why-online-radicalization-deserves-every-parent-s-attention-the-rise-of-the-neo-nazi-recruiter

11/18/2025

Today on The Live Update Show, we’re chatting about:
🎮 Roblox Age ID Verification

🕹️ Netflix Party Games launching just in time for holiday gatherings and family fun!

📞 Android Call recording now lets you save a phone call directly to yourself.

💬 ChatGPT Group Chats allow teams to work on the same project.

🔍 How the LinkedIn AI search can have privacy and security impacts.

Join Us Live Today (Tuesday)
4:00 PM PST | 7:00 PM EST
LIVE on YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/FzLgd0jmnew

Things change so quickly in the digital world that even we at The White Hatter sometimes struggle to find the best ways to share news, tips, and guidance wit...

11/18/2025

Why We Think Project Based Learning in Secondary Schools Is A practical Way To Overcome Today’s AI Concerns Around Learning and Assessment

Artificial intelligence is changing how students learn, create, and complete schoolwork. Many parents, caregivers, and educators worry that AI makes it too easy for teens to generate essays, solve problems, or produce work that doesn’t reflect their own thinking. Those concerns are real, but this moment also gives schools an opportunity to rethink how we evaluate learning in the first place. We believe that project based learning offers one of the most effective ways to keep students engaged, accountable, and genuinely growing, even in the age of AI.

To read our full article on this topic, click this link https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/why-we-think-project-based-learning-in-secondary-schools-is-a-practical-way-to-overcome-today-s-ai-c

11/18/2025

A recent online discussion prompted us to revisit our understanding of the Canadian medical community’s position on proposals to restrict cellphone access until age 14 or 16. To ensure accuracy, we contacted both the Canadian Medical Association and the Canadian Paediatric Society to ask whether they support or endorse these age based restrictions. Both organizations confirmed in writing that they do not endorse, nor do they take a position on, specific age limits for cellphone use.

We strongly support this position. Decisions about when and how a young person accesses technology belong with the family, where individual needs, maturity levels, and circumstances can be taken into account. This isn’t something that should be dictated through provincial or federal legislation that takes a one-size-fits-all approach. Families deserve the flexibility to make choices that fit their own children, rather than having those choices made for them.

Do we recommend that “smartphones” or what we like to call “fusion phones” be provided as a first phone to those youth under the age of 16? In most cases, NO WE DO NOT, we actually recommend a minimalist phone such as the “PinWheel” phone (1), or the “SunBeam” phone (2). However, there are exceptions to this recommendation such as youth who need a fusion phone given a medical condition such as Type 1 diabetes, or for those who may need such a device as a part of their IEP.

Another exception, a family may not have the financial ability to purchase a new minimalist phone, and the only device they may have is a hand-me-down fusion phone. In these cases, there are products such as the “Brick”(3) and “BrightCanary” (4) that turn an old iPhone into a minimalist phone. For those with a hand-me-down Android phone, there is the Boomerang App (5) that could help.

Lastly, whatever device you choose to introduce, keep in mind that it isn’t a gift in the traditional sense. You’re lending your child a powerful tool that comes with responsibilities and expectations. Framing it this way helps set healthy boundaries from the start. Any device should also be paired with a “Family Collective Agreement”,(6) which outlines how the technology will be used, what the expectations are, and how you’ll work together to keep everyone safe and informed.

Digital Food For Thought

The White Hatter

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

References:

1/ https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/pinwheel-phone-for-young-teens-review
2/ https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/review-of-the-sunbeam-orchid-phone-a-first-flip-phone-for-pre-teens-younger-teens
3/ https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/the-brick-product-review
4/ https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/product-review-of-the-brightcanary-apple-ios-parenting-app
5/ https://www.useboomerang.com/
6/ https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/the-power-of-a-social-media-and-technology-family-collective-agreement

11/17/2025

Interesting quote from our Prime Minister in an Nov 2025 article in Toronto Life:

“I know most senior people in tech, certainly in Silicon Valley, do not let their children on social media. If they do, they very much limit their time.”

This statement once again exemplifies that if something is said enough times it becomes the truth. However, good investigative reporting shows this statement is not totally reflective of what is happening in Silicon Valley (1)

1/ https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/do-tech-bosses-really-ban-their-kids-from-screens

11/17/2025

We Do Not Recommend AI Toys This Christmas, and Here’s Why

Many families are excited for the 2026 Christmas season. Kids are already pointing out the gifts they hope to see under the tree, and companies have been hard at work promoting the newest “must-have” toys. This year, a major push is coming from products that promise to use artificial intelligence to “bring toys to life” the way we see in movies like Toy Story.

Earlier this month, we wrote about how scammers and holiday shoppers are both using technology in new and different ways. In this article, we want to focus on the toys themselves. More specifically, why we DO NOT recommend AI powered toys for children this Christmas.

To read our full article, click this link https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/we-do-not-recommend-ai-toys-this-christmas-and-here-s-why