How To Stop Catfishing Online And Keep Your Children Safe From Internet Predators

By Sarah Smith


The internet has opened the world to those who have access to electronic devices. As wonderful as this is, technology has also created opportunities for predators to take advantage of those who are most vulnerable. As a parent, it's your job to protect your children. If you are going to allow them access to the internet you have to know how to stop catfishing online in your own home.

Most kids know more than their parents when in comes to internet terminology. If you don't know what an online catfish is, you need to learn quickly. A catfish is a person who makes up a fake identity. These people set up fake profiles and pictures. They may target children for sexual purposes or to manipulate them in some way. There are ways you can minimize the risks to your kids.

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.

The more a predator can isolate a child online, the easier it is for him to cause damage and get personal information. Parents need to insist that children avoid private conversations. There is safety in group discussions. Predators don't want witnesses to what they are doing or who they are targeting.

Just like you teach children to be wary of strangers in real life, you need to teach them to do the same on social media. As a parent it is your obligation to be nosy. You have a right to know who your kids are talking to on social media. If you see someone unfamiliar to you, you should ask your child who it is and how he knows them. You don't want to be accusatory, just interested and concerned.

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.

Searching the catfish's image is one way to catch him. It's easy to copy an image of the individual and download it into a search engine. If the image is fake you'll probably find it popping up on numerous websites and social media pages. It might even turn out to be a celebrity. Once you have determined the individual is a catfish, he should be blocked immediately.

Social media is great, but you've got to protect your children from those who want to take advantage of them. A catfish can be tricky to catch. They try to stay one step ahead of everybody else. As a parent you have a responsibility to keep up with who your child is communicating with the internet.




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