Sadfishing, Deepfakes & TikTok: Headlines You May Have Missed

Sadfishing, Deepfakes & TikTok: Headlines You May Have Missed

Technology trends move fast and the digital newsfeeds run non-stop. No worries, we’ve got your backs, parents. Here are three important headlines you may have missed about some of the ways kids are using their devices and how you can coach them around the risks.


What’s Sadfishing and is Your Child Doing it Online?


Sadfishing is the act of someone making exaggerated claims about their emotional problems to generate sympathy from other people online. The concept of sadfishing surfaced when some alleged that celebrity influencers Justin Bieber and Kendall Jenner were engaging fans a form of sadfishing, which then sparked others to follow suit. The practice is growing to the extent that a  recent Digital Awareness UK report, based on interviews with 50,000 schoolchildren, says sadfishing could be damaging teenagers’ self-esteem and leading to bullying.


The risks: Young people who post emotionally-heavy content could be bullied by peers who see a vulnerable post as an empty bid for attention. But here’s where things get murky. Is a person sadfishing for attention or could that person truly be in crisis? Unless you are a professional, there’s no definite way to know since online interactions tend to lack context. For that reason, professionals say that alarming posts should be taken seriously, and everyone should become familiar with how to help someone in an emotional crisis online.


Talking points: Browsing posts and comments on your child’s social feeds is one way to see if ..

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