Parenting Perspective 

When peers push a child to follow a shady or sensational online account, the true pressure centres on belonging. Children worry that saying ‘no’ will make them appear scared, judgemental, or ‘out of the loop’. Your role is to provide clear safety checks, short refusal scripts, and minor physical actions that protect their conscience, digital privacy, and emotional peace. 

Spotting the Red Flags Quickly 

Teach your child a fast mental scan to run before following any unknown account. Normalise the pause as an act of wisdom, not fear. 

• Key Red Flags: 

• Anonymous or newly created profile with no real-world anchors. 

• Shock content that mocks faith, bodies, or private people. 

• Link-bait to unknown sites, questionable giveaways, or ‘private lists’. 

• DM pushes for screenshots, dares, or secret groups. 

If two or more flags appear, your child must pause and not follow. 

Give Short, Steady Refusal Lines 

Rehearse calm responses that close the door firmly without inviting debate: 

• Refusal Scripts: 

• ‘I do not follow accounts I do not trust.’ 

• ‘I keep my feed clean.’ 

• ‘Not my thing, thanks.’ 

• ‘I am careful about what enters my feed.’ 

If friends continue to push, teach the ‘gentle repeat’: say the same line once, then immediately change the topic or step away. Fewer words mean fewer opportunities for argument. 

Pairing Words with Protective Actions 

The scripts should be backed by simple protective steps. Practise “name and move”: name your boundary once, then follow with a small action. 

• Protective Actions: 

• Set their own account to private. 

• Use platform tools to restrict or mute the friend pressuring them. 

• Leave the chat, put the phone away, or physically sit elsewhere. 

If the dodgy account targets others or shares harmful material, your child should be ready to report, block, and screenshot for a trusted adult. 

Offer a Safer Alternative 

Help your child pivot without preaching by offering a healthier substitute to their friends: ‘Share me a positive page on art/fitness/Islamic reminders instead.’ This keeps the connection alive while gently shifting the group’s focus toward constructive content. Praise their steadiness; each small, calm refusal strengthens their identity and lowers future anxiety about standing apart. 

Keep a Family Review Rhythm 

Institute a weekly five-minute ‘feed tidy’: unfollow any content that harms mood, faith, or sleep, and pin what inspires. Treat content curation as a form of digital hygiene. Remind your child that what we follow, follows us back into our thoughts and heart. 

Spiritual Insight 

Islam teaches that what we allow into our eyes and ears profoundly shapes the heart. Online ‘following’ is a kind of companionship, and companionship directly influences a person’s belief and behaviour. Protecting the feed is therefore an essential part of protecting one’s Imaan (faith). 

Ayah from the noble Quran 

The Quran provides the essential principle of verification for all incoming information: 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Al Hujuraat (49), Verses 6: 

‘O you, who are believers, if there comes to you a deviant (person) with information, then cross-examine it; as it may cause you (unintentionally) to harm a nation in ignorance; as then afterwards you will become regretful over your actions.’ 

This ayah trains believers to pause and verify before engaging. A dodgy account thrives on spectacle and unverified claims. When your child says, ‘I am careful about what enters my feed,’ they are living this verse, choosing verification over viral noise and conscience over clicks. 

Hadith of the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ 

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught us to be conscious of who we keep company with: 

It is recorded in Sunan Abu Dawood, Hadith 4833, that the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 

‘A man follows the religion of his friend; so each one should consider whom he makes his friend.’ 

Online follows act like friends invited to one’s table. If the ‘friend’ invites indecency, mockery, or rumours, it will inevitably stain the heart over time. Teach your child that curating their feed is choosing their company. Calmly declining to follow a harmful account is not being dull; it is choosing companions that lift, not drag. 

Help them hold a simple ethic: pause, verify, and protect the heart. Short lines, quiet exits, and clean curation are acts of worship in a noisy world. When your child prefers truth over trend and light over hype, Allah Almighty honours that steadiness.