Where's The Furor?

10/05/2025

08/29/2025

When AI Feels Like a Friend: Why Teens Are Turning to Chatbots for Emotional Support

A quiet but significant shift is taking place in how youth and teens handle their emotions. Increasingly, they are turning not to friends, parents, or counsellors, but to chatbots powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Tools like X’s Grok, ChatGPT, Replika, and Character.ai are being used as digital companions to share personal struggles. However, These interactions are not always lighthearted or experimental. Many teens are holding conversations with AI about anxiety, sadness, loneliness, and even deeply concerning feelings such as suicidal ideations that have lead to deaths of teens (5)

For adults, this may feel surprising, or even unsettling. Parents, caregivers, and teachers know AI can be useful for brainstorming, journaling, studying, or writing, however, while most adults see AI as a tool, many youth and teens treat it as something more. To a young person still learning how to process big emotions, these chatbots can appear not just helpful, but empathetic. This blurred line between tool and friend is at the center of why this trend deserves careful attention by parents, caregivers, and educators.

To read the full article, click this link https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/when-ai-feels-like-a-friend-why-teens-are-turning-to-chatbots-for-emotional-support

08/19/2025

💯

08/10/2025

What do you think, are dumb phones the future for kids?

“The school first asked parents of boys in pre-primary to Year 7 not to give their children smartphones. About half of the Hale boys affected by the policy own "dumb phones" — devices which allow them to call and text but not much else, assuaging any safety concerns their parents may have about communication.

The move has been so successful that Hale plans to extend the policy to Year 8 students next year, with the support of 93 per cent of parents.”

08/09/2025

We are excited to share that we are offering counselling services to Caregivers! If you are a caregiver who is struggling with how best to support your youth and yourself, we are here to help.

To book an appointment, please call the front desk at 250-383-3552 or drop into the clinic and ask the front desk about our counselling services. We are located at 546 Yates St, on the 2nd floor of the building.

For crisis support, the Vancouver Island Crisis Line is available 24/7 at 1-888-494-3888

07/31/2025

Jonathan Haidt is the author of a new book on kids and mental health.

07/31/2025

Teen Boys & Consent - We Need To Widen The Lens

When we talk about consent with our kids, especially in the context of sex and relationships, the message often comes with a gendered bias, one that’s subtle but powerful. Girls are told to set boundaries, and boys are told not to cross them. It may seem like balanced advice on the surface, but for many teen boys it leaves out something crucial, their own right to say no!

Most consent education frames boys as potential aggressors, leaving out their right to say no. This article challenges gendered assumptions, urges open dialogue, and calls for teaching boys that their boundaries matter too.

To read our full article on this important topic click this link https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/teen-boys-consent-we-need-to-widen-the-lens

03/26/2025

"The federal government has officially announced more than $3.5 million in funding for Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) units, which investigate online sexual youth and child exploitation cases. T

The funding will be dispersed over three years, with the Capital Regional District ICE team getting a cut of the funding. The integrated CRD team initially began as a six-month pilot project with members from Victoria, Esquimalt, Saanich, Central Saanich and Oak Bay in 2021.

The revived team will consist of four constables, one sergeant, and one disclosure clerk from across Greater Victoria in a shared office." ~ CTV News

(thanks for the share to the Capital Region Action Team's Bill McElroy)

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-safety-canada/news/2025/03/government-of-canada-invests-in-protecting-children-and-youth-from-online-sexual-exploitation.html

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-safety-canada/campaigns/online-child-sexual-exploitation/resources-for-educators/toolkit-for-youth-aged-13-14.html