We spend a lot of time worrying about "brain rot" like Skibidi Toilet or the latest TikTok challenge, but we often overlook the foundational character work that helps kids navigate those spaces.

Digital spaces are, by design, dehumanizing. When your kid is playing Fortnite, they aren't looking at a human; they’re looking at a skin. When they’re in a comment section, they’re looking at a handle. It is incredibly easy for a 10-year-old to forget that there is a "Who" on the other side of that "speck" (the screen).

Horton Hears a Who! addresses three massive hurdles in digital wellness:

In the book, the Wickersham Brothers are the monkeys who tease Horton and eventually try to cage him. They represent the classic "troll" or the "group chat bully." They aren't necessarily evil; they’re just bored, loud, and find it hilarious to pick on someone who cares about something they don't see.

When our kids enter spaces like Discord or even the chat in Adopt Me!, they will encounter Wickersham Brothers. These are the kids (and adults) who think empathy is "cringe" or "low-aura." Horton’s refusal to back down—even when it’s socially embarrassing—is the exact kind of digital resilience we want our kids to have.

Ask our chatbot about how to handle online bullying in group chats

If you’re using Horton Hears a Who! as a jumping-off point, here are some other media items that reinforce these themes without being "preachy."

Ages 8+ If Horton is the "entry-level" version of empathy, Wonder is the graduate course. It deals with the reality of being "the speck" that everyone else wants to ignore or mock. It’s a great companion piece for kids starting to navigate the social hierarchies of middle school.

Ages 10+ This is a "game" in the loosest sense. You sit in a cozy room, listen to lo-fi beats, and write anonymous letters of encouragement to real people around the world. It’s the literal antithesis of a toxic Call of Duty lobby. It teaches kids that their "Yopp" can actually make someone else’s day better.

Ages 7+ This is a beautiful, peaceful multiplayer game where the primary goal is to help others. You can’t even "talk" to people in the traditional sense until you’ve built a relationship of trust with them. It’s a great way to experience a "Jungle of Nool" where everyone is actually looking out for each other.

Ages 7-12 Like Horton, Roz the robot is an outsider trying to find her place in a community that doesn't understand her. It’s a fantastic exploration of how kindness and persistence can eventually win over even the most skeptical "Sour Kangaroos."

At this age, it’s just a fun rhyming book. But you can start the conversation by asking, "Why were the monkeys being mean to Horton?" Focus on the idea that just because you can't see something doesn't mean it isn't there. This is a great precursor to explaining that the people in Bluey or Sesame Street are characters, but the person playing a game with them later will be real.

This is the sweet spot. Most kids are starting to play Minecraft or Roblox with friends. Use Horton to talk about "digital shadows." If they see someone being "cooked" in the chat (to use their terms), ask them: "Are you going to be a Wickersham Brother, or are you going to be a Horton?"

For tweens, the focus should be on Jo-Jo—the smallest Who. Jo-Jo didn't think his voice mattered until it was the only one that could save the city. In the context of a toxic group chat or a school-wide rumor on Snapchat, one kid saying "Hey guys, this isn't cool" is often the "Yopp" that breaks the spell of the mob.

Check out our guide on the "Bystander Effect" in digital spaces

We have to be careful not to be the Sour Kangaroo ourselves. In the book, the Kangaroo is convinced she’s right because she’s "sensible." She’s the one who says, "If you can’t see it, it isn't there."

As parents, we sometimes do this with our kids' digital lives. We dismiss Roblox as "just a game" or their YouTube interests as "brain rot." When we do that, we’re telling them that their world—their Whoville—doesn't matter because we don't "hear" it.

The best way to teach digital empathy is to show it. If they’re excited about a "skibidi" something-or-other, listen for a second. You don't have to love it, but don't be the one trying to boil their speck in Beezle-Nut oil just because you don't get it.

Next time you read Horton Hears a Who! or watch the Horton Hears a Who! movie, try these conversation starters:

Dr. Seuss wasn't thinking about the internet in 1954, but he perfectly captured the human tendency to devalue what we don't understand or what we can't see clearly. Horton Hears a Who! teaches our kids that being "intentional" (as we like to say at Screenwise) often means being the only one in the jungle who is willing to stand up for the speck.

It’s not about being a hero; it’s about acknowledging the humanity in everyone, whether they’re standing in front of you or typing from a thousand miles away.

Learn more about raising empathetic kids in a digital world