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Wednesday, June 27, 2018

How To Stop Catfishing Online And Keep Your Children Safe 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.

A lot of children know more about internet terminology that their parents do. If you are not familiar with the meaning of catfishing, you need to get educated fast. Catfish are predators who create fake identities, profiles, and pictures in an effort to fool unsuspecting individuals. They might be targeting kids for sexual purposes or as a way to manipulate them. It's important that you do everything possible to minimize the risks to your children.

Kids who are old enough to have internet access are old enough to learn internet responsibility. Kids love sharing pictures with friends, but catfish could be looking at them too. Predators will flatter children to get close to them. There are privacy settings on social media sites that will only allow certain people to view pictures. If someone else is going to post pictures of your child, they need to tag him or her so you all know it was done.

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.

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.

Modern technology is wonderful. It opens a lot of doors for people of all ages. Protecting your kids from the negative elements that exist online is paramount though. Catfish can strike anywhere. You have to remain vigilant and know who your child is talking to.




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