The White Hatter

10/13/2026

This alert from our friend and colleague Wayne Denner serves as an important reminder for parents, caregivers, and educators. At present, the Dola app Wayne references does not appear to be available in Canada or the United States, at least not yet. However, as its popularity grows in Europe, we suspect it may eventually make its way into the North American market. What makes Wayne’s article particularly important to us goes beyond the Dola app itself. It highlights a much larger issue that we have been speaking about here at The White Hatter for years.

Much like the early days of social media, when new platforms seemed to emerge almost daily, we are now witnessing a similar evolution with AI-powered social and companion applications. The names, features, and platforms may change, but many of the underlying privacy, safety, security, and behavioural considerations remain remarkably consistent. This is why we have long advocated that we need to stop chasing individual apps and start teaching the principles that apply across all apps, including the new class of what we call “social AI” apps. The reality is that parents, caregivers, and educators will find it challenging to keep pace with every new platform that enters the digital marketplace, particularly given the speed at which generative AI is evolving.

Rather than focusing exclusively on what the latest app is called, we need to equip our youth and teens with the critical thinking skills and AI literacy necessary to understand the who, what, where, when, how, and why of interacting with artificial intelligence. Who is behind the technology? What information is being collected? Where does that information go? When should we question an AI generated response? How might the technology influence our decisions, relationships, and behaviours? Why was the platform designed the way it was?

When young people understand these foundational principles, they are better prepared to recognize risks, evaluate opportunities, establish healthy boundaries, and make informed decisions, regardless of which AI platform they encounter today or tomorrow.

The technology will continue to change, but the foundational principles of digital literacy remain relevant across platforms. Their application may differ, but their importance does not. Here at The White Hatter, our goal has never been to teach children to fear the next app. It has always been to provide them with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to navigate whatever technology comes next.

Thank you Wayne for the "heads up"

📱 There's an AI app popular with children that most parents have never heard of.

It's called Dola.

It's free, it's already passed 200 million downloads, and is linked to ByteDance (the parent company of TikTok). Children are using it for homework, turning selfies into anime art, and chatting with AI "characters" - including bots for dating advice and even "therapy".

Here's what concerns me:

❌ No parental controls
❌ Age checks that are easily got around
❌ Chats, photos and voice recordings collected and used to train AI

This isn't about panicking. It's about knowing what's out there so you can be part of your young person's digital world.

I've put together a full breakdown on my latest blog - what Dola is, how young people are using it, the risks, and simple conversation starters to help you talk to your child about AI.

👇 Have a read. Link in the comments.

10/12/2026

Before You Turn Yourself Into an AI Barbie Doll or Action Figure, Ask Yourself This Question: What Are You Teaching Your Kids About Digital Privacy?

Social media is being flooded with adults transforming themselves into AI generated Barbie dolls, action figures, and personalized characters. It’s creative, entertaining, and seemingly harmless fun. However, have you stopped to consider what happens to your photograph and personal information once you upload it to an AI platform? Who has access to that information, how long might it be stored, and could it be used for purposes you never intended? These are the very questions we encourage youth and teens to ask before sharing their personal information online. Yet, how many of us are asking those same questions before jumping on the latest AI trend?

Here at The White Hatter, our biggest concern isn’t necessarily the AI Barbie doll trend itself. It’s what our participation may be teaching our children about digital privacy, consent, and responsible technology use. We often remind parents and caregivers that children learn just as much from watching our digital behaviour as they do from listening to our advice. If we tell our kids to be cautious about uploading personal photographs to unfamiliar platforms, but then enthusiastically do exactly that ourselves without considering the potential consequences, what message are we sending? In our latest article, we explore the privacy and security considerations behind this popular adult trend and why it presents an important teaching opportunity for families. Before creating your next AI character, we encourage you to read this article. You might look at this trend, and your own digital habits, a little differently.

10/12/2026

10/12/2026

We Spend a Lot of Time Teaching Kids What Can Go Wrong Online. But Are We Teaching Them What to Do When It Actually Happens?

A teenager may know what sextortion is, but do they know how to respond when someone threatens them? A young person may understand that cyberbullying is wrong, but what happens when their closest friends pressure them to participate? A youth or teen may have been warned about online predators, but can they recognize manipulation when it comes from someone they have been gaming with for months? Here at The White Hatter, we believe identifying online dangers is important, but awareness alone does not necessarily translate into safer decisions. Knowing a risk exists and having the confidence, judgment, and practical skills to respond when that risk becomes personal are two very different things, especially when mom and dad aren’t around.

This is why we believe digital literacy education must move beyond simply teaching kids what to fear and start teaching them how to respond. In our latest article, we explore why building digital resilience through critical thinking, recognizing manipulation, setting boundaries, practising decision-making, and knowing when to ask for help is just as important as parental controls, restrictions, and online safety warnings. We also explain why protection and preparation must work together, particularly as artificial intelligence introduces new challenges for young people. Eventually, our kids will encounter digital situations where we cannot immediately intervene. When that moment comes, will they simply recognize the danger, or will they have the skills and confidence to do something about it? That’s the conversation we believe every parent, caregiver, and educator needs to be having. Read our full article to learn why raising digitally resilient kids requires more than just warning them about what can go wrong.

Teaching kids about online dangers is important, but what happens when they face those dangers without an adult nearby? Awareness alone isn’t enough. At The White Hatter, we believe digital literacy must go beyond warnings to build resilience, critical thinking, confidence, and practical skills. P...

10/11/2026

“From Team Photos to AI Trading Cards: Are We Celebrating Young Athletes or Exposing Their Digital Identities?”

Artificial intelligence is making it easier than ever for sports teams, schools, coaches, and parents to transform an ordinary photograph of a young athlete into a professional-looking trading card or cinematic sports poster. The results can be incredible, and we understand why young athletes love them! However, what many parents and coaches may not realize is that creating these images can involve uploading a child’s photograph to an external AI platform, potentially altering their physical appearance, and combining their name, age, school, hometown, and team information into a publicly accessible digital profile. What starts as a fun way to celebrate a young athlete could unintentionally create privacy, consent, and safeguarding concerns that nobody considered.

Here at The White Hatter, we are not suggesting that AI generated sports graphics should be banned. In fact, we believe this technology offers some exciting creative opportunities when used responsibly. However, just because we CAN create these images doesn’t necessarily mean we SHOULD without understanding the potential consequences. Who owns the original photograph? What happens to your child’s image once it’s uploaded into an AI system? Can it be retained or used for AI training? Did the original team photography consent form actually authorize this type of use? In our latest article, we explore these questions, demonstrate just how easily a realistic teenage athlete profile can be created, and explain what parents, coaches, schools, and sporting organizations should know BEFORE using AI to create these images. We’ve also included two FREE, editable resources for sports clubs, a family information sheet and an informed consent form. Celebrating young athletes and protecting their privacy should never be competing priorities. Click the link to read the full article and access these free resources.

10/10/2026

When the Gang Recruiter Is Just One Click Away: How Canadian Youth and Teens Are Being Recruited Into Criminal Organizations Through Social Media

What if the person offering your teenager easy money through social media isn’t offering them a job, but recruiting them into organized crime? This isn’t hypothetical, police agencies in British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec are warning that criminal organizations are using social media, online gaming, and private messaging apps to recruit young people for drug trafficking, extortion, vehicle theft, and even shootings. Sometimes recruitment begins with a simple message, an offer of quick cash, or the promise of friendship and belonging. What makes this particularly concerning is that a young person doesn’t have to consider themselves a gang member to become involved in serious criminal activity. They may believe they’re simply doing someone a favour or earning a little extra money, only to discover that walking away isn’t so easy.

In our latest White Hatter article, we examine real Canadian police investigations, the psychology behind online gang recruitment, the warning signs parents should recognize, and practical strategies to help protect youth and teens. We also discuss the disturbing connections to violent online networks such as 764 and The COM, and why the potential loss of funding for Greater Victoria’s MYST program should concern every parent, caregiver, and elected official in our community. Most importantly, we explain why simply banning social media is not a complete prevention strategy. The technology may provide the connection, but it’s often a young person’s desire for money, belonging, recognition, or protection that recruiters exploit. Understanding these vulnerabilities is where meaningful prevention begins.

Read our full article: “When the Gang Recruiter Is Just One Click Away: How Canadian Youth and Teens Are Being Recruited Into Criminal Organizations Through Social Media.”

10/10/2026

The Five Foundations of Raising Kids in Today’s Onlife World: Connection, Character, Capability, Confidence, and Independence

We can ban smartphones in schools, restrict social media until age 16, install parental controls, and introduce stronger legislation to hold technology companies accountable. However, here’s a question we believe isn’t receiving nearly enough attention, "Are we spending so much time focusing on what we need to protect our children FROM that we’re overlooking what we need to prepare them FOR?" Restrictions may reduce exposure to certain risks, but they don’t automatically teach critical thinking, empathy, emotional regulation, good judgment, or how to recognize manipulation. What happens when our children eventually gain access to these technologies and we’re no longer standing beside them to guide their decisions?

At The White Hatter, we believe raising children in today’s technology connected onlife world requires more than rules, restrictions, and legislation. It requires intentionally developing five essential foundations: Connection, Character, Capability, Confidence, and Independence. These are the human qualities that help young people navigate challenges, make responsible decisions, and seek help when things go wrong, both online and offline. In our latest article, we explain why these five foundations matter, how they work together, and why protecting children and preparing them for independence should never be competing philosophies. The goal shouldn’t simply be to raise children who are safe when we’re watching. It should be to raise children who increasingly know how to navigate their onlife world when we’re not.

👇 Read our full article and discover why these five foundations deserve a place in every family’s approach to technology and parenting.

We can ban smartphones, restrict social media, install parental controls, and pass legislation, but are we actually preparing our children for the day we’re no longer watching? Protecting kids from technology risks is important, but protection alone doesn’t build good judgment. At The White Hatt...