Explore every episode of the podcast The White Hatter - Parenting In An Online World
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20. Is My Child Ready For Their First Cellphone? | 03 Dec 2022 | 00:28:58 | |
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 information that parents and caregivers need to help you make an informed decision. Resources mentioned:
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| 19. Mom/Dad - I Want To Be A Pro-Gamer or Social Media Influencer | 20 Nov 2022 | 00:13:15 | |
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 social media influencer, and what do we as parents and caregivers say and do when our kids share with us that this is what they want to do as a full time job as they get older.
Resources mentioned: Our Website: www.thewhitehatter.ca Our FREE webbook “Parenting In An Online World” https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/book-list Dfwchild.com article https://dfwchild.com/how-your-kid-can-become-a-social-media-influencer/ | |||
| 10. Social Comparison, Body Image, & Social Media | 04 Sep 2022 | 00:12:52 | |
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:
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| 9. Back-To-School Tech Preparation | 28 Aug 2022 | 00:13:02 | |
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 our kids digital well-being, especially now that they will be starting a new school year. Resources mentioned:
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| 8. Reporting A Cybercrime To Police & What To Expect | 21 Aug 2022 | 00:12:32 | |
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:
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| 7. Parental Monitoring - What Is It, & Should We Be Using It? | 14 Aug 2022 | 00:28:08 | |
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 software, types of monitoring options available to parents that we recommend, and lastly asking the question, “should parents be using monitoring software?” Resources mentioned:
https://files.thewhitehatter.ca/owncloud/index.php/s/AjjifwXzZevgG2i
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QARebpaBZc
https://www.bark.us/?ref=ZKX6VDJ
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| 6. Online Parenting Best Practices | 07 Aug 2022 | 00:28:37 | |
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 digital literacy and social media safety with their kids, what to do when your child wants to download an app, how to set up family tech boundaries, why parents need to be a good tech role model to their kids, and the concerns surrounding “sharenting” plus much, much more. Resources mentioned: Our Website: www.thewhitehatter.ca Our FREE webbook “Parenting In An Online World” https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/book-list Family Dinner Project: https://bit.ly/37bAJMo Common Sense Media: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/app-reviews Book “Growing Up Shared” https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/book-list Family Collective Agreement: https://files.thewhitehatter.ca/owncloud/index.php/s/AjjifwXzZevgG2i | |||
| 5. Is My Child Ready For A Cellphone? | 31 Jul 2022 | 00:27:08 | |
In this episode we are going to be talking about the who, what, where, when, how, and why of Cellphones. We will be discussing age appropriateness, cellphone recommendations, setting cellphone boundaries, consequences to boundary breaches, problematic youth usage of cellphones, and third part monitoring and filtering software options. Resources mentioned: Our Website: www.thewhitehatter.ca Our FREE webbook “Parenting In An Online World” https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/book-list Family Collective Agreement: https://bit.ly/36VVhbi Sonic Bomb Alarm Clock https://www.sonicalert.com/alarm-clocks PinWheel Phone: https://pinwheel.com iPhone Parent Settings: : https://apple.co/3NviSD0 and https://bit.ly/2IV2FLz Android Parent Settings: https://bit.ly/3Pyfqto and https://bit.ly/35RO50s Boomerang Parenting App: https://bit.ly/3foYHXH Gryphon Router: https://youtu.be/tSZtO1Ydj9k KinZoo: . https://bit.ly/3fpNVjP | |||
| 4. Online Pornography, Hypersexualization, & Our Kids | 24 Jul 2022 | 00:21:32 | |
In this episode, we are going to be talking about online pornography, hypersexualization, and our kids. We will be speaking to how the porn industry is capturing our kids, and the less than desirable outcomes that pornography can have on healthy human sexual development. We will also speak to how media in all its forms is hypersexualizing youth for financial gain, and what we parents and caregivers can do to protect our kids from both online pornography and hypersexualization. Resources mentioned: Our Website: www.thewhitehatter.ca Our FREE webbook “Parenting In An Online World” https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/book-list Raised On Porn Documentary https://youtu.be/hzPylqS01qU Cultured Framed online education https://www.culturereframed.org Dr Jillian Roberts book “Kids, Sex, & Screens: Raising Strong Resilient Children in the Sexualized Digital Age” https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/book-list Gryphon Router https://gryphonconnect.com Spin Browser https://spinsafebrowser.com | |||
| 3. Technology, Bedrooms, Sleep & Reducing Harm | 17 Jul 2022 | 00:22:49 | |
In this episode, we are going to be talking about why sleep is important to our kids, how technology can affect sleep, and what parents and caregivers can do to reduce the challenges when it comes to technology and sleep deprivation in our kids based on the good evidence-based research, and why getting all technology out of the bedroom is so important! Resources mentioned: Our Website: www.thewhitehatter.ca Our FREE webbook “Parenting In An Online World” https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/book-list Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whitehatterteam | |||
| 2. Sextortion & Youth | 11 Jul 2022 | 00:29:30 | |
In this podcast, we are going to be discussing the crime of sextortion and youth vulnerability to this real online threat – Not only are we going to define what sextortion is, we are also going to discuss the two major types of sextortion that youth will likely face online, what parents can do to educate their kids on this topic from a prevention standpoint, and best practices as to what to do next if your child does fall victim to this online threat. Resources mentioned: Our Website: www.thewhitehatter.ca Our FREE webbook “Parenting In An Online World” https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/book-list How to request the removal of an intimate image/video from popular social networks https://ln5.sync.com/dl/d501b6eb0#jb2gyj5r-9p8yyu4d-vkd5j56s-n7bvc5ky | |||
| 1. Summer Screen Activity vs Screen Time | 04 Jul 2022 | 00:19:44 | |
In this podcast, we are going to be talking about screen activity and what parents can do to create a balanced and blended use of technology not only during the summer break but also all year round. There is a lot of moral-based panic surrounding this topic being pushed by what we like to call “special interest groups” In this podcast, we are going to look at this important topic from a researched evidence-based perspective. Our goal – specific to this podcast, let’s enlighten and not frighten through facts and not fear! Resources mentioned: Our Website: www.thewhitehatter.ca Our FREE webbook “Parenting In An Online World” https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/book-list Reducing Screen Time May In Fact Increase Risk Behaviour https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/reducing-screen-time-may-in-fact-increase-risk-behaviour Creating A Digital Onlife Balance: https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/creating-a-digital-onlife-balance-during-summer-break-2021 | |||
| 18. Teens & Vaping | 13 Nov 2022 | 00:18:19 | |
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.ca Our FREE webbook “Parenting In An Online World” https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/book-list Teens & Vaping Article https://thewhitehatter.ca/vaping/ Vaping Interview: https://youtu.be/krg8A2r0clg | |||
| 17. Online Privacy & Security | 05 Nov 2022 | 00:16:23 | |
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 crimes. On this month’s podcast, we want to talk about how you and your kids can increase your privacy and make your personal information less visible while online
Resources mentioned:
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| 16. The Deep/Dark Web - What Parents & Caregivers Need To Know | 30 Oct 2022 | 00:09:09 | |
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 Web, and the fact that teens are curious about what they can find online, we thought this podcast would be important for parents to shed a light a light on the who, what, where, when, why, and how of the deep/dark web. Resources mentioned:
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| 15. Cyberbullying (Part 2) Parenting & School Strategies | 08 Oct 2022 | 00:23:43 | |
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:
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| 14. Cyberbullying/Digital Peer Aggression Part 1 | 01 Oct 2022 | 00:24:02 | |
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 to cope with this challenge. Resources mentioned:
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| 13. Teen Based Digital Relationship Abuse | 25 Sep 2022 | 00:11:22 | |
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:
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| 12. Parental Juvenoia, Moral Panic, & Clickbait Oh My | 18 Sep 2022 | 00:09:53 | |
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:
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| 11. Discord - What Parents Should Know | 14 Sep 2022 | 00:12:36 | |
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:
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| 27. When Parents & Caregivers Allow age Inappropriate Access To Technology - Why It's Worth Rethinking | 05 Jul 2025 | 00:19:31 | |
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 down by daily arguments, to believing “my kid is different,” Darren walks listeners through the most common justifications he’s heard from families across North America—and gently challenges each one with insight, research, and real-world examples. This episode isn’t about judgment. It’s about equipping parents and caregivers with the critical thinking tools needed to make informed decisions in a digital world where child development and online design don’t always align. | |||
| 26. Don't Ban It, Teach It | 28 Jun 2025 | 00:12:18 | |
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 thousands of presentations, current research, and real-world insight, this episode unpacks the flaws in reactionary tech restrictions, the harm of guilt-based messaging, and the unintended consequences of banning technology rather than teaching responsible use. Darren explains why readiness is about maturity, not just age, and offers practical parenting tips to build digital literacy, trust, and resilience. Listeners will leave with a clearer understanding of why education, not abstinence, is the smarter path forward—and how empowering young people through guided digital engagement prepares them for the “onlife” world they’re already part of. | |||
| 25. When Tragedy Strikes: A Hard Look at Parenting in the Age of Technology | 21 Jun 2025 | 00:12:59 | |
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 Tech, weak legislation, and yes, the crucial role of parental oversight. This isn’t about blame, it’s about responsibility. We explore how digital safety depends on a three-part foundation: industry accountability, government regulation, and, most importantly, active, informed parenting. Through straight talk, real examples, and actionable advice, we offer a path forward for families navigating our always-on, always-connected world. If you're ready for an honest conversation that goes beyond headlines, let’s get into it. | |||
| 24. Does Technology + Social Media = Mental Health Issues For All Youth? | 14 Jun 2025 | 00:13:45 | |
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 mental health and highlights why it's not as simple as blaming screens or smartphones. From confounding factors like family violence and academic stress to the surprising benefits of tech in certain contexts, this episode offers a balanced, evidence-informed perspective on how we can better support kids in today’s onlife world. Article "Does Technology + Social Media = Mental Health Issues For All Youth? We Need To Reframe the Question! https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/does-technology-social-media-mental-health-issues-for-all-youth-we-need-to-reframe-the-question | |||
| 23. “The Resilient Generation” - How Teens Are Using Phones and Technology to Build Balance & Healthy Lives | 07 Jun 2025 | 00:21:35 | |
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. Drawing from our direct experience with over 655,000 teens across North America, and grounded in peer-reviewed research—not panic—we highlight how youth are using tech to learn, connect, create, exercise, advocate, and grow. From education and mental health to entrepreneurship and civic action, this episode reframes the conversation and equips parents, educators, and caregivers with the perspective needed to support—not restrict—the next generation of digital leaders. | |||
| 22. Why Online Safety Isn't About The Platform, It's About The Person | 27 May 2025 | 00:13:26 | |
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 that connects emotional development, mental health, digital hygiene, and online risks, this episode offers practical strategies to raise resilient, informed youth in today’s onlife world. | |||
| 21. Are Teens Really Losing People Skills Because Of Technology? | 26 May 2025 | 00:11:53 | |
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 losing social skills—they’re evolving them in response to the realities of a digitally connected “onlife” world. From online gaming and digital friendships to face-to-face leadership and community involvement, teens are still learning empathy, collaboration, and communication—just in new, often misunderstood ways. With practical insights for parents and caregivers, we’ll challenge assumptions, highlight strengths, and offer strategies to support youth in building meaningful relationships both online and offline. | |||
| 28. “The Difference Between Blame and Accountability for the Harms Teens Face Online When It comes To Onlife Parenting” | 12 Jul 2025 | 00:11:48 | |
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 experience and conversations with families, we unpack why placing all the responsibility on platforms and ignoring the role of parents can leave teens more vulnerable. You’ll hear insights on how to prepare kids with the right skills, boundaries, and support before giving them access to the digital world. We also share practical tips for building trust, setting structure, and having the hard conversations early—before a crisis hits. This isn’t about guilt. It’s about growth. It’s about being present, not perfect. | |||