Cat In The Hat Social Media Trend: How To Talk To Teens About It

A bizarre and “unsettling” AI-generated trend has been spreading online for weeks now – and it appears to be slowly bleeding into real life.

According to Safer Schools, a character reminiscent of Dr Seuss’ Cat in the Hat has been shown in AI-generated clips “threatening to visit people’s homes, or appearing on doorbell cameras and through windows” in the UK and Ireland.

Per The Guardian, some of the videos feature threatening messages towards specific towns and schools.

“Some videos show the character dancing alongside a list of names or cities said to be visited next, while other posts spread false claims of violence, including stabbings, chases or ‘meet-and-greets’ in the forest,” safeguarding experts at Safer Schools said.

Back in August, in Limerick, Ireland, social media posts cropped up showing a bizarre figure resembling Cat in the Hat standing on people’s driveways and creeping about. Police officers later said the images were created using artificial intelligence (AI) and weren’t real.

While many of the posts, images and videos do appear to be AI-generated, the trend does appear to be inspiring real-life copy cats.

On 8 September, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said a figure dressed in a Cat in the Hat costume allegedly chased a teenage girl through her neighbourhood in West Kelowna, British Columbia.

The girl reached her home safely, however the police are now investigating the incident. RCMP’s Corporal Devon Gerrits said: “Regardless of whether the individual intended the behaviour as a joke, following a young person and causing them to fear for their safety is extremely concerning.

“People should understand that behaviour intended as a prank can have serious consequences when it causes another person to reasonably fear for their safety.”

In the United States, the trend has led to some teens being arrested, facing charges and/or disciplinary action due to participating in the hoax.

Advice for parents of teens

You’re probably wondering whether this is something your own kids have come across or engaged with online.

If your child’s brought it up in conversation, safeguarding experts at Safer Schools advise using it as an opportunity to “discuss fake news, misinformation, and AI-generated media and discuss what the signs of these might be”.

It can also help to reassure them that they can always come to you if they’re unsure whether something’s real, or if something they see online makes them feel uneasy.

The experts added that if a child hasn’t come across the content, there’s no need to introduce it to them or name the trend as this might encourage further engagement.

If you’re unsure whether they’ve seen it or not, keep an eye out for behavioural changes – like trouble sleeping, difficulty concentrating, or reluctance to go outside – and ask vague questions like: Have you seen anything strange or unsettling online recently? Is there anything online that your friends or other people are talking about in school? What’s all over your TikTok or Snapchat feed these days?

Regardless of whether they’ve seen the troubling trend, it can be helpful to remind your child that they can block and report anything on their social media feed that makes them feel uncomfortable – and show them how to do this.

“Discuss with them how the algorithm repeatedly pushes content that they’ve engaged with to their feed and remind them to use the ‘not interested’ feature to ensure unwanted content is not being shown to them,” Safer Schools advise.

Some young people have commented under these social media posts to name their own towns or schools as the next target. As a result, it’s really important to remind children to never share their locations online.

“Risks arise as strangers with harmful intentions can piece together small details to convincingly pose as someone local,” added the safeguarding pros.

And if your teen ever feels like they’re being followed or chased, let them know they should move towards a safe, populated location where they should also contact a trusted adult – and call 999 if they are in immediate danger.