As the 2021 holidays near, we know that parents and caregivers may be looking to purchase a first cellphone or laptop, for their child or grandchild, as a gift. Over the past year, we here at The White Hatter have had an opportunity to test and evaluate several devices and products that we believe would be a great first device gift for youth. We also wanted to share some other FREE wrap around resources that we believe should be bundled together with any tech that will be gifted this Christmas.
First Cellphone:
We would recommend the PinWheel phone as a pre-teen/younger teen’s first phone; here’s a review we wrote on the PinWheel earlier this year:
Before you purchase a cellphone for your child, you need to ask yourself – “Is my child ready for their first phone?” This is something that we dedicate a whole chapter to in our FREE webbook for parents that can be located here:
First Laptop:
We would recommend the Tanoshi Scholar hybrid tablet/laptop. The Tanoshi Scholar was specifically designed for youth as their first laptop; here’s a review we wrote on the Tanoshi Scholar earlier this year:
Family Router:
Once your child starts accessing the internet, we actually recommend that parents consider utilizing a home router that is specifically designed with family security, privacy, and monitoring in mind. We recommend the Gryphon Router; here’s a link to a YouTube review we did on this amazing family router:
A Free Family Collective Agreement:
If you are considering gifting technology to your child this Christmas, it is important to have clear guidance on the use of technology both inside and outside of the home, including set time limits to use the internet and for how long. This is where the FREE White Hatter Family Collective Agreement can help. This family collective agreement outlines clear responsibilities for both the child and the parent. The agreement also clearly outlines consequences if the agreement is breached. We recommend that you print this agreement, read it and discuss it together, and then sign it together with your child, and post it on your kitchen fridge so that it is seen every day to help compound its message; here’s a link (just click on the PDF to open it):
Youth Friendly & Family Messaging App:
Youth love to communicate with one another using technology, and will often do so using messaging apps. We believe Kinzoo is the best secure and private messaging apps on the market for both pre-teens and younger teens, and is fully scaffolded by a parent. Think of Kinzoo as a messaging app with training wheels for preteens and younger teens. Other messaging apps like Facebook Messenger, or What’s App, are owned by companies where it is reasonable to expect that they are collecting personal information about your child’s online behavior for their financial benefit – Kinzoo does not do this; here’s a link:
Our Free WebBook “Parenting In An Online World”
When we share our concerns with our kids about their onlife world, we should do so in a way that ties into where they are today, is non-judgmental, is relevant to their life, and appeals to their intelligence and experience. However, to do this, parents and caregivers need to first educate themselves about the “onlife” world. Given the constant state of change when it comes to technology, the internet, and social media, we decided to publish our thoughts in a free webbook that allows us to regularly update its content. Given the onlife world is constantly is a state of change, our webbook is a living document that allows parents to stay current. We also wanted to write a book that was “enlightening” and not “frightening” based upon good evidence-based peer-reviewed academic research; here’s the link to our free webbook:
Stay Connected and Updated Via Our Social Media Feeds
Another free way that parents can stay updated on what is happening in the onlife world, follow us on our social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whitehatterteam/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIf7YaCFR65jBri8VozwQSQ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whitehatterteam/?hl=en
Twitter: https://twitter.com/whitehatterteam
Happy Holiday Shopping!
The White Hatter
