People Are Not Always Who They Say They Are

While I believe the internet is a blessing all in its own unique way with everything you can do with it (including meeting friends), I also believe it can be a danger especially for us teenagers, and heres why! When were young most of us think were either invincible, or for the more protected teen population we think that theres nothing wrong with the world, and that well always be safe like we have been with our parents. On one hand this is a good thing as it gives us courage to meet new people, and try new things which is generally fantastic as long as we know who the people we are associating with are. But on the other hand with so much access to the internet involved you end up making friends most of the time, and while thats usually fine my question for you guys is what would you do if a friend you met online turned out to be a completely different, and potentially dangerous person? You dont know? Well luckily for you thats what Im here to discuss with you guys today! So without further ado lets get started with discussing the complete cycle of finding out someone is not who they claimed to be, and also what to do about it if youre ever caught up in a situation like that! 😊👍🏼...
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Section #1: How these people get away with such deceit in the first place

#1. A lot of these people will pray on teens, and young children as they know theyre the most vulnerable.

#2. These types of people often have experience in catfishing young people so they know what to do in order to get what they want.

#3. This kind of stuff often happens online which makes it really easy for people to hide who they really are behind a screen.

People Are Not Always Who They Say They Are

#4. These people are often amazing manipulators so they can often put whatever thoughts they want to in their victims minds.

#5. Lastly even if these people do get caught in a lie theyre typically amazing gaslighters, and are also amazing at threats so a lot of the times they can get away without getting in trouble. *************************************************************************************************

Section #2: Situations where you could run into a catfisher

#1. The biggest one I would say would probably be virtually anywhere online as you can basically be anything when hiding behind a screen.

#2. In a nightclub (yes there are nightclubs out there meant for teens).

#3. In a school/college.

#4. At the mall.

#5. Dating apps.
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Section #3: Why we should be cautious around either online friends we havent met in person or acquaintances we dont really know

#1. Whenever people meet theyre typically on their best behavior as they typically want to make a good impression on others. This is normal as its part of human nature to have the desire to please people, however at the same time you should lean on the side of caution as you havent seen this other persons true colors yet.

#2. Some people are really good liars or manipulators especially when you dont really know them yet.

#3. You dont know a persons true intentions at first for wanting to build a friendship or a relationship with you.

#4. You dont know about a persons past right away or even at all if theyre really good at deceit.

#5. Anyone can lie about who they are even in real life. *************************************************************************************************

Section #4: How we can keep ourselves safe against potential catfishers

#1. Pay attention to what theyre saying, and how theyre saying whatever it is. They may be amazing catfishers at first, but eventually they will crack. So look out for that if you believe someone may be a true catfisher!

#2. Setting boundaries. I know in this day, and age it can be extremely hard not to give in to peer pressure but you dont have to give all of your information away right away, or even at all if youre not comfortable! If someone doesnt respect your boundaries they dont deserve you anyways.

#3. Respecting your privacy & anonymity, deciding what that looks like for you specifically, and then reinforcing those guidelines over & over again both within yourself, and the people you meet along the way.

#4. Knowing all of your legal rights as a human being. Catfishers can be incredibly controlling, and manipulative against their victims so its extremely important to gain knowledge about your rights by a reliable resource so they cant convince you otherwise. I dont care if youre only 13 or even if youre almost 18, and about to age up its never to early or to late to learn about your specific rights in whatever part of the world you live in!

#5. Gathering all the emergency information you can to keep you safe such as memorizing both your countrys emergency services number & your parents phone number/numbers as well, learning where all the closest exits are to you at your location, etc... This is very useful in the sense of if you ever feel in danger with someone you have a higher chance of successfully getting away, and receiving help from a trustworthy adult. *************************************************************************************************

Section #5: The potential consequences of trusting people with your personal information right away

Disclaimer: We at 7 Cups do not support personal info being shared at all, this section is generated more towards online/teen safety as a whole!

#1. You could get robbed.

#2. You could get your identity stolen.

#3. You could get kidnapped or sexually assaulted.

#4. You could potentially get into legal trouble (especially if the catfisher ended up gaslighting you!).

#5. Depending on certain factors you could even get murdered unfortunately... *************************************************************************************************

Section #6: Concluding Questions

#1. How do you feel about this thread?

#2. Have you followed any of these recommendations on your own?

#3. Are there any tips youd recommend that I did not include in this thread?

@AriannaPink