How To Stop Catfishing Online And Protect Your Kids From Internet Predators

By Sarah Smith


Kids today never knew a world without the internet. They communicate by texting and on social media. As adept as even small children are with technology, people who use the internet for illegal purposes are getting even more sophisticated. It is the job of parents to protect their children. When kids are allowed access to social media, it's the parents' responsibility to learn how to stop catfishing online in their own homes.

If your kids are on the internet, and you don't know what an online catfish is, you are making your kids vulnerable to predators. A catfish is someone who creates a false identity with a made up profile and fake photos. Some target unsuspecting kids for sexual purposes. Other times their goal is to manipulate or bully a specific child. Parents can stop this behavior by being diligent.

There are online responsibility lessons that must go along with permission to access the internet. Kids love sharing pictures with their friends on social media, but this may make them vulnerable to catfish. One tactic catfish use is flattery, which over time can turn into trust. Privacy settings can minimize this problem. If others are going to share pictures of your kids, you should make sure they tag the kids so you know about it.

You will have to teach your kids to avoid strangers who want to have private conversations with them. Most kids are pretty trusting. Predators know how to manipulate that. You need to make sure your child is only having conversations in groups. Predators don't like witnesses.

Most people teach their kids to be careful of strangers who try to approach them on the street. They need to teach them the same thing about strangers they meet on the internet. It's okay to be a nosy parent. If you see a friend you do not know on your child's social media page, ask who the person is and how your child knows him.

There are certain signs you should recognize as a potential catfish. Some of them will set up sophisticated profiles but when you search, not show up anywhere else on the internet. They might have new profiles with lots of friends. Catfish won't post details or have much interaction with their so called friends.

One easy way to uncover a catfish is to take his profile picture and download the image into a search engine. If the picture is fake, the image will probably pop up on several sites. Catfish even use images of famous people. If you find out your child is being catfished, you need to block the person immediately.

Social media is a great way for kids and adults to connect with one another. It can also be a dangerous place for those who are too trusting. These are the people catfish target because they are the easiest ones to reel in.




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