Catfishing

A mother narrated how her daughter was deceived online....which could have led to abuse if not for her timely intervention. Please note, the abuser thrives on the ignorance, vulnerability and adventurous trait of teens. The guy(an adult) disguised as a teen girl, from his profile pix down to all what he talked about.....they were already planning to meet when the mother got hold of her phone and the cat was let out of the bag,.....quiet a long story...anyway, it was later discovered that one of the girl’s friends from school it set her up all in an attempt to debunk her claim of being a virgin. It is now confirmed that schools aren’t resuming anytime soon due to COVID 19 and the other alternative is e-learning....It is better to be safe than sorry! Let’s bear in mind that the online space is a means of information for the good, the bad and the ugly. Parents must be well informed in order to educate their children on the pros and cons of the online space. Most of those who abuse children offline are not total strangers to them, so also abusers online are not strangers to the children....they find a way to build rapport, groom, gain trust and then abuse the child. Some do this through “Catfishing” Catfishing is a deceptive activity where a person creates a sockpuppet presence or fake identity on a social networking service, usually targeting a specific victim for abuse or fraud. - Wikipedia. *be connected to your child, be interested in their lives and be involved in all that concerns them. *understand and be conversant with the learning platforms your child is using. *be familiar with your child’s time table and not just leave them online as long as they want. *talk to your child about choices they make online and the consequences of certain actions, using life experiences and happenings to buttress your point. *tell them the consequences or anything that could go wrong by agreeing to meet someone they met online and the implications of giving personal information to strangers online. *use checks and parental control apps especially if you are working parents and you aren’t with your child most time of the day. *whatever makes them uncomfortable, let them know they are free to talk to you and make yourself accessible. Feel free to add more tips in the comment section. This too shall pass....stay safe! Do have a productive day.