Ever wonder who your kids talk to on the phone or what they're up to on social media?Common Sense Media [1] shared top catfishing apps your kids may use to "boost" their social lives.
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From Shakespeare to TV sitcoms, the idea of pretending to be someone you're not never gets old. In the online world, there's a name for it — "catfishing" — and it's common enough to have inspired a movie [2] and a TV show [3]. But creating a false persona isn't the only bait-and-switch game out there. New apps let kids boost, create, or totally fabricate reality, tapping into the pressure kids feel to project a certain public image. Teens are especially vulnerable, since a lot of their social lives play out online, and they may be tempted to lie using tech. Learn more about helping your kids use social media safely and responsibly [4] and how to help them think through the consequences of creating fake profiles [5]. Here's a sampling of the new tools that take catfishing to a whole new level.
Fake Conversation [6]
It's common to feel inadequate as a teen and want to impress. Apps like this one let you choose from a list of characters — like "playboy" and "music producer" — and set a time to receive a call from your new fabulous friend. When the character calls, you just listen to the recorded script, as if on a real call, and repeat what the recording says. Though it's mostly meant for pranks, it's also advertised as a means to impress, trick, or ditch people.
Fake GPS Location [7]
Some parents rely on a kid's phone location to keep tabs, but it's not foolproof. Not only will this app let a user fake a location, but it also tricks all the phone's other apps, so when a teen posts to social media it looks like they're somewhere they're not.
Gotta Go! [8]
Sometimes we might make up an excuse to get out of an uncomfortable situation. However, this app — created in conjunction with Chelsea Handler [9] — takes it a step further. It lets you create a fake contact who writes pretend text messages that get sent at a predetermined time. Since the text looks like it's from a real person, it's safe to show the phone as proof that you "gotta go." Users can also get a fake call if they can act their way through a one-sided conversation.
Imaginary Girlfriend [10] and Invisible Boyfriend [11]
If a teen is surrounded by paired-off couples, there might be some pressure to have a special someone. Imaginary Girlfriend and Invisible Boyfriend will send you texts to make it look like you've got one, too. Depending on the service, you can also get a picture to post on social media and a made-up "this is how we met" story.
Instafame — Get More Instagram Followers [12]
For some, social media is all about the likes, and if you can't build a following fast enough, there are plenty of apps that can help — for a price. With Instafame, you earn coins by liking other people's photos and then "spend" your coins on likes for your pics. Turbo Like for Instagram works similarly.
Social Dummy — Create Fake Social Posts and Statuses [13]
Want to pretend you posted something to social media? Use the templates available in the app (for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and so on), create a fake post that looks like the real thing, and snap a screenshot to share. Because the templates look exactly like the formatting of different social media sites, they're pretty convincing. If you create more than a few, you can pay real money to make more.