How To Stop Catfishing Online And Protect Your Kids 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.

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.

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.

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.

You need to know the signs that can indicate a catfish is interacting with your child. Some of these predators set up elaborate profiles on social communities, but do not leave a trace anywhere else online. Their profiles may be new. Catfish might friend a lot of people and not know any of them. Kids should be warned not to friend people they've never heard of.

Searching an image is a great way to catch a catfish. You only have to copy the image and paste it into a search engine. If the picture is a fake, it will pop up in numerous places, including social media pages. It could even be the image of a celebrity. Once you know you have discovered a catfish, you need to block him 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.




About the Author:



Grab The Post URL

URL:
HTML link code:
BB (forum) link code:

Leave a comment

  • Google+
  • 0Blogger
  • Facebook
  • Disqus

0 Response to "How To Stop Catfishing Online And Protect Your Kids From Internet Predators"

Post a Comment

comments powered by Disqus