Friday, June 29, 2018

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.

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.

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.

Predators love to get kids alone. You need to stress the importance of avoiding private conversations with people the kids do not know. Staying in a group will help keep your child safe and out of the clutches of a predator who doesn't want witnesses to record his actions.

In the same way you warn kids against talking to strangers they meet on the street, you have to warn them against internet predators. You have a right to nose around in your kid's online business. You can ask who they are talking to. If you do not recognize a name or photo, you should ask who the individual is without panicking.

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 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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