The White Hatter - Parenting In An Online World

In this episode, Darren takes a candid look at a challenge many schools and presenters face: low parent turnout for digital literacy and internet safety sessions, even when those very sessions are requested by parents and caregivers themselves. Despite rising concerns around screen time, sextortion, cyberbullying, online predators, and AI generated content, most parent education nights are sparsel...

In this episode of The White Hatter: Parenting in an Online World , we tackle the growing influence of AI chatbots in the lives of youth and teens. From homework help to emotional support and even digital companionship, these tools are no longer just futuristic experiments, they’re quietly becoming part of daily life for many kids. Drawing on peer-reviewed research, real conversations with youth,...

In this episode of The White Hatter: Parenting in an Online World , we dive into an issue that’s become more relevant than ever, when harm happens to teens online, where does parental accountability begin, and does it end with tech companies? Host Darren Laur explores why it’s important to distinguish between blame and accountability in the digital parenting conversation. Drawing from decades of e...

In this episode of The White Hatter: Parenting in an Online World , Darren explores one of the most common dilemmas modern parents face: why some well-meaning caregivers choose to allow their children access to technology or social media platforms before they’re age-appropriate—and what that choice might mean in the long run. From feeling pressure to be the "cool" parent, to being worn dow...

In this episode of The White Hatter: Parenting in an Online World , host Darren Laur tackles a rising trend in digital parenting: the push to delay or outright ban youth access to technology. With a focus on facts over fear, Darren challenges the “delay is the way” narrative and questions whether emotional headlines are clouding the judgment of parents, educators, and policymakers. Drawing from th...

In this episode of The White Hatter: Parenting in an Online World , titled "When Tragedy Strikes: A Hard Look at Parenting in the Age of Technology" , we confront the heartbreaking reality of a 10-year-old girl lured and abducted through platforms like Discord and Roblox. While the predator is solely to blame for the crime, we take a deeper look at the broader systems at play such as Big T...

In this episode of The White Hatter: Parenting in an Online World , we tackle one of the most debated questions today: Does social media cause mental health issues in youth? Host Darren invites parents, caregivers, and educators to move beyond fear and media headlines to explore what the actual research says. Drawing from over 57 peer-reviewed studies, he breaks down the complexity behind youth me...

In this episode of The White Hatter: Parenting in an Online World , we challenge the tired narrative that teens are addicted, detached, or digitally doomed. Titled “The Resilient Generation: How Teens Are Using Phones and Technology to Build Balance & Healthy Lives” , we explore the real-world ways youth are integrating technology into their lives with creativity, awareness, and purpose. Drawi...

In this episode of The White Hatter: Parenting in an Online World , host Darren explains why online safety isn’t about banning apps—it’s about understanding and guiding the person behind the screen. Instead of reacting to every new platform, parents and caregivers are encouraged to focus on timeless values like empathy, critical thinking, and trust-based communication. With a wraparound approach t...

Welcome to The White Hatter: Parenting in an Online World podcast, where facts replace fear and education empowers action. Hosted by Darren, this episode tackles the common—but misleading—narrative that technology is eroding teens’ people skills. Drawing from thousands of school presentations, real-world youth experiences, and credible peer-reviewed research, we explore how today’s teens aren’t l...

As social media safety experts, advocates, and coaches who present to thousands of parents throughout Canada and the United States, one question we are usually asked is, “What age do you think a child should be gifted a cell phone.”, - this is especially true during the Christmas season when youth are hoping for a phone as a gift under the tree. In this podcast, we are going to provide the informa...

When we speak with students, especially those in elementary schools and middle school, about what they want to do as a career when they grow up, the two most common answers we hear are #1 “I want to be an online professional e-gamer” or #2 “I want to be a social media influencer”. On this podcast, we are going to be talking about what is the likelihood of a teen becoming a professional e-gamer or...

On this podcast we are going to be talking about vaping. Although vaping is not the internet, a social media platform, or app, it definitely plays a role in today’s teen social media culture. Given this fact, and the significant medical contraindications of vaping, we wanted to dedicate this podcast to shed some light on the vaping culture.    Resources mentioned: Our Website:  www.thewhitehatter....

There will always be those who will want to harvest our personal information they locate and collect online that will then be weaponized and used to their advantage.  Once this information is gathered, it can be posted publicly as a form of public shaming, or as a weapon to commit a variety of different crimes such as identity theft, mischief, criminal harassment, extortion, and several other crim...

During our student presentations over the past year, we have noted an increase in the number of questions from both middle school and high school students about the “Dark Web”. Why is this happening? – we hypothesize that media, in all its forms, is shining a light on this part of the internet which may spark a teen’s curiosity to search it out online.  Given the mystique surrounding the Deep/Dark...

On this podcast episode, we are going to be talking about “cyberbullying” or what we like to call digital peer aggression.  This topic deserves so much attention that in episode #14 we talked about the who, what, where, when, how, and why of cyberbullying, and on this podcast episode we are going to look at what parents and schools can do to cope with this challenge. Resources mentioned: Our Websi...

In this podcast episode, we are going to be talking about “cyberbullying” or what we like to call “digital peer aggression”.  This topic deserves so much attention that we are going to split it up into two podcasts, this week we are going to be talking about the who, what, where, when, how, and why of cyberbullying, and in next week’s podcast we are going to look at what parents and schools can do...

In this podcast episode, we are going to be talking about Teen   Based Digital Relationship Abuse – what is it, and why parents, caregivers, and even teens should be alive to this ever-increasing youth online challenge. Resources mentioned: Our Website:  www.thewhitehatter.ca Our FREE webbook “Parenting In An Online World”  https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/book-list Cyberbullying Research Center Repo...

In this podcast episode, we are going to be talking about   parental   juvenoia, moral panic, and clickbait – what is it, and why parents and caregivers should be alive to how these topics can create false narratives specific to the emotional, psychological, physical, and social effects of social media and technology. Resources mentioned: Our Website:  www.thewhitehatter.ca Our FREE webbook “Paren...

On this podcast we are going to talk about Discord – what are Discord servers, voice channels, Nitro, boosts, GDMs, and hubs – it’s easy to see how Discord can be overwhelming to parents and caregivers, so we are going to break it down for you, and share what we believe parents and caregivers need to know about this very popular social platform.   Resources mentioned: Our Website:  www.thewhitehat...

In this podcast episode, we are going to be talking about Social Comparison, Body Image, and Social Media. An important topic especially for teen girls, but also an issue for teen boys as well when it comes to our kid's emotional, psychological, physical, and social well-being.    Resources mentioned: Our Website:  www.thewhitehatter.ca Our FREE webbook “Parenting In An Online World”  https://...

Now that summer holidays are coming to an end, parents and caregivers need to start thinking about preparing our kids for their return back to school - a part of that preparation is their past, present, and future use of technology going into this new school year. Some of the ideas and recommendations that we are going to share are not necessarily tech centric, but they all play an important role...

In this episode, we are going to be talking about how to report a cybercrime to police and what to initially expect from the attending uniform officer. Not only are we going to discuss what to do and what to say, but we are also going to provide you with some strategies if police show little interest in proceeding with your complaint. Resources mentioned: Our Website:  www.thewhitehatter.ca Our FR...

This episode is all about shining a light on what the research shows, and what we have seen to be the "best practices" when it comes to parental monitoring. We are going to be discussing what parental monitoring is, privacy law myths surrounding parental monitoring software, the difference between “spying” and parental “monitoring”, strengths and weaknesses of using parental monitoring sof...

This episode is not about telling you how to parent your child, because you are the parent, not us. This episode is all about shining a light on what the research shows, and what we have seen to be the "best practices" when it comes to parenting in the onlife world. We are going to be discussing the 3 types of parenting online strategies, the 5 steps that parents can take to increase digit...