The profile looks normal. The messages feel friendly. Something is off. Here's how to spot it fast.
A girl in my class got a follow request from someone who claimed to be 14 from Asheville. They had posts, followers, seemed real. The messages started nice. That's exactly what made it confusing — and dangerous.
In real life you pick up dozens of signals — face, voice, body language, whether your friends know them. Online, all of that disappears. Anyone can claim any age, use any photo, make any story.
People who target teens online have often done it many times before. They're practiced at seeming normal. The red flags are there — you just have to know what to look for.
The messages appear one by one. Tap Flag It whenever you think you see a red flag.
A well-made fake profile looks real at first glance. Here's what to look for when something feels off.
Study this profile. Tap each red flag you notice.
Marcus, 13, loves online gaming. He meets someone in a game lobby — same age, same taste, seems awesome. They add each other. Three weeks later the person asks to video call "just to put a face to the name." Marcus notices their profile was created last month and has almost no posts.
What's Marcus's best move?