As parents, we spend a lot of energy teaching our kids to look both ways before crossing the street, to wear a helmet, to buckle up. But there’s a busy intersection our children cross every single day that many of us still don’t know how to watch over: the internet. Between group chats, gaming platforms, and social media, our kids are constantly interacting with “friends” we’ve never met and profiles we have no way of verifying. And increasingly, those profiles aren’t who they claim to be.

Catfishing, fake dating profiles, and impersonation scams used to feel like problems for adults navigating dating apps. Today, they’ve trickled down into spaces our tweens and teens use every day. A stranger can lift a few photos from a stock image site or steal them from an unsuspecting person’s public account, build a convincing profile in minutes, and start messaging kids who have no reason to be suspicious. The profile picture looks real. The bio sounds friendly. And that’s exactly the problem.

This is where a little digital literacy can go a long way, and it starts with a simple question: is this actually the person they say they are? One of the easiest ways to check is a reverse image search, and specifically a reverse face search tool, which scans the internet for other places a particular face appears online. If a “16-year-old classmate” your child is chatting with turns out to have the same profile photo attached to five other accounts under five other names, that’s a huge red flag worth taking seriously.

I started using this approach after a friend mentioned her daughter had been messaged by someone claiming to attend a nearby school. A quick search of the profile photo revealed it belonged to an influencer with no connection to the area at all. That five-minute check probably prevented a much bigger headache down the line.

Here’s how to build this habit into your family’s online safety routine, without turning it into a full-time surveillance job:

Start with a conversation, not a lecture. Ask your kids who they’re talking to online and whether they’ve ever met that person in real life. Curiosity works better than suspicion.

Make verification a normal step, not a big deal. When a new online friend or follower seems important to your child, treat a quick photo check the same way you’d double-check a babysitter’s references. A reverse face search lets you upload or link a photo and see where else it appears online, which can confirm whether someone is using a stolen or stock image.

Watch for patterns, not just one red flag. A profile with very few posts, a recently created account, or photos that only appear in one place can all be signs worth a second look, especially combined with an image search that turns up nothing or turns up someone else’s identity entirely.

Extend the habit beyond social media. The same approach is useful for verifying people your family meets through marketplace apps, rental listings, or even new coaches and tutors before a first in-person meeting.

Talk about what to do if something looks wrong. Make sure your kids know they can come to you, block the account, and report it to the platform without fear of losing their phone or getting in trouble. That open door matters more than any single tool.

None of this replaces ongoing conversation and healthy boundaries around screen time and new online relationships. But giving yourself and your kids one more concrete tool for verifying who’s really behind a profile picture is a small habit that can prevent a much bigger problem. The internet isn’t going to stop being full of strangers, but a little verification goes a long way toward keeping our families safer while they’re out there making friends, joining games, and being kids in a very connected world.