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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.