Bitcoin Forum

We had a talk about Bitcoin and I asked why he is not in bitcoin yet he said the Internet says is money suited for crimes I did some research myself and I found the same thing online.

Tool for illicit activities: Bitcoin's pseudonymous nature and decentralized structure have made it a favored tool for criminals involved in money laundering, terrorism financing, drug trafficking, and ransomware attacks.

This is why my home boy don't want to get involved with Bitcoin, I don't want to say much because I am considering his age, he is still 14 years old and he is spending money on useless things, it was where the idea came from, I mean the whole talk about Bitcoin.

I told him that Fiat is more suited for crime than Bitcoin, dirty politicians can have money move around in fiat and hide it because they are in power but the blockchain is public, is there any point you guys can contribute to add up?

Who do you think controls the internet? Some of these service providers are financed or have links to banks. They will always try to demarket Bitcoin. Sometimes you would need to research beyond the surface to discover the truth. 


We have passed the era when these Bitcoin critics used illegal activities as a tool to attack Bitcoin. These attacks were not fruitful; that's why they want to join the crypto ecosystem. Anyone who believes this lie is ignorant and not willing to learn.       

in the part you highlighted it says made it a favored tool which means criminal are taking advantage of it
Not that it was created for criminals.
Besides the blockchain is public and if one wants true anonymity then Cash still remains king.


In the Old, Sword kills but also protect. The tool isn't at fault but the users.

If a drugs that can heal any disease or ailment exist and instead it's used for inhumane experimentation of Humans
Does that make the drug inhumane too? No.

It also happens to me when I talk about Bitcoin with other people. 90% of the time the answer is that it’s a scam, that it helps criminals, that it’s used for illegal trafficking. The truth is that until the big banks and governments say ‘use Bitcoin, it’s a sound and decentralized currency,’ they will keep using fiat. When banks and the mass media start saying that Bitcoin is not for criminals—in fact, the currency most used in crime is still the USD—then people will start to come in en masse (maybe too late if they’re only watching the price). Unfortunately, most people are like a herd being led by their master.

I remember when I was 14 years old, I'm just playing with my friends, doing my homework, playing video games, doing my hobby, participating in extracurricular and join school competition.

So if I met a little kids who think like that, I will not interfere them.

It's dangerous if they taught economy/bank subject in their school, then they will have an argument against the teacher.

I read something similar on the beginners board some time ago, the google search produces some inaccurate, incomplete and biased information about Bitcoin. That's how it's misleading some persons, I remember searching something about Bitcoin on google and the results I got was making reference to some altcoins that were listed out for me, so, I don't have doubt in what Op is saying. What I will advice you is to put the boy through the right knowledge of Bitcoin since he is already showing interest to it, you can be of good advantage to him.

You would have dropped the link to the site for public clarification. The concept bitcoin is not narrow to one or few articles but a lot and it is like a review where everyone has their own few. And those misleading articles are not contemporary articles but old articles that probably the writers are no more, and nobody to re-edit them. I believe from 2019, article writers and bloggers have known the legitness and trustworthy of bitcoin so their write have changed.
When I came to this forum too I was seen some kind of threads in that magnitude but that doesn't mean bitcoin is not legit but it is the view point from those people and I believe they themselves have seen the good part of bitcoin.

In many years, Bitcoin was attacked by many people as a tool for crimes but you can guess that people who hate Bitcoin will try their best for preventing its adoption growth.

All these criminal activities can be seen in all industries, just more or less, and you can see it in cash, bank transfers, gold deals, and more. So it is not reasonable for using it to attack Bitcoin if we are not Bitcoin attackers, we can easily see it as non sense attacks.

It can be proven with more data and details in a report on Crypto Crime (2025) (https://go.chainalysis.com/2025-Crypto-Crime-Report.html) from Chainalysis.

Fortunately with Internet, you can check, double check, and cross check information from different search engines and resources.
https://endthefud.org/justice

Is that really where he got the idea from? I'm not up to date with what the new kids are doing nowadays, but we have YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, and so on, where they can get a short video explaining this or that. I wouldn't be surprised if he sees one of them, especially if it comes from his favorite content creator.

I think you need to tell him other things that criminals also use, like ToR, VPN, and so on. Will he also avoid them because some people abuse them? Or is he afraid that the government will go to your door and jail him?

Initially, most people were skeptical about Bitcoin and reluctant to get involved with it, but look now, Bitcoin has been accepted by various elements of society ranging from those with modest incomes, business people, large companies and even governments. Now governments and financial institutions are starting to formulate policies that support and accept the presence of Bitcoin, support from governments that accept Bitcoin which can function as a strategic reserve for the country allows the foundation of Bitcoin to grow because it has been considered a reliable store of value and a hedge against inflation.
It's natural that your 14-year-old friend is still reluctant to get involved with Bitcoin because usually the mindset of teenagers his age is still very unstable and still asks for money from their parents. Maybe when he reaches adulthood, he will come to you to teach him about Bitcoin and everything related to it.

Bitcoin is easy to understand and Bitcoin is difficult to understand, meaning that a beginner if he does not understand the correct system and how Bitcoin works indeed beginners will assume negative bitcoin, that is certain.

What's more he searched on the internet or Google, what he wrote will come out, if he wrote a search about negative, it is certainly negative but if he wrote positive, it is certainly positive, on the internet can write anything about bitcoin, if he sees about laundering money is common news often onDiscover on the internet.

Now back to the OP, save your novice friend first, as long as you receive Bitcoin on sig per week what you feel and as long as you know Bitcoin more negative things you get or positive, You should be able to tell your novice friends, you don't need the internet, what you feel for real bitcoin rather than the internet.

Bitcoin can be this difficult to understand if the person isn't ready to put in the work to learn more.

Person OP is reffering to just decide to give up because the Internet search says Bitcoin can be used for criminal activities funding and others, it shows he look at the disadvantages and not the advantages.

It is good that he is a kid, if this is an adult I won't waste my time on him, I will tell him to do more research instead of judging based on the search engine result.

The truth is internet want to make Bitcoin look really bad, and this is the work of the government controlling the engines, what do you think that people like Elizabeth Warren would do if they are given the power? Bitcoin will look so ugly on the Internet than it is presently.

If I have to send a message to the kid it will be the following.

Some bad mothaf**ers want Bitcoin to look extremely bad so that people like you and I won't be able to use it, they want to be in control of everything and they are pissed that something like Bitcoin is giving you and I the power not to be under their control.

Not every information seen on the internet or Google space is true, most of them are false especially when it concerns bitcoin matter, or have you forgetting that information displayed on the Google search engine didn't just fell from heaven but was written by human beings, who knows if the writer is not an enthusiast of bitcoin.  Let be aware of the fact that not everyone is happy with bitcoin existence especially the corrupt leaders because of it decentralized features, making currupted leaders to be unable to carry out their dirty activities.

Furthermore, so am not surprised because anything can happen just for them to pull it down which is almost impossible, bitcoin is the solution we have be seeking for and any other blackmail about it is bullshit.

Teenagers of this present age are more privileged than us. People born from 2010 until now have higher comprehensive and engaging mindsets than those before this time, so they tend to grasp concepts quicker and form their own opinions earlier. Unlike past generations who mostly followed a structured path of school, play, and hobbies, today’s young minds have instant access to information, new skills, and global perspectives courtesy of the evolving technologies. This gives them an advantage in terms of creativity, awareness, and adaptability.

The internet will provide answers based on what it's asked about a particular thing. That's to say, if I ask the internet about the dark side and the good side of a particular thing, it will provide me with both without missing words.

The thought above made me ask, did you ask your 14-year-old home boy what he asked the internet about Bitcoin? Like if I asked Google about the dark side of Bitcoin, it would provide me with it, which were the points your friend raised on Bitcoin to be used as a tool for illicit activities. On the other hand, if I ask Google about the positive side of Bitcoin, the answer that Google will provide will be a lot, and it will encourage someone to invest in Bitcoin.

What I am trying to say is that the internet provides your friend with the answer he was looking for about Bitcoin. So, talk to your friend about the positive, than leave him to grow with the mentality of Bitcoin dark side, whereas the positive side of Bitcoin overshadows the dark side

Yeah when I first heard about bitcoin, I also read the same description. But that was over 10 years ago.

Back then there was nothing positive to say about it. It was highly volatile and you could easily lose 90% and it was still used for Silkroad. Banks didn’t want to see you receiving or sending crypto transactions and you had to use those P2P services which can be scary at times depending on who you are meeting.

But that was a decade ago. Now honestly bitcoin is mostly concentrated as an investment and not to move money without borders. A lot of it’s volume is just speculation and many of the volume happens on the stock market and derivatives.

Internet is a source of both fake and legit information of anything available in the web. Bitcoin is not immune to that so it’s better to do a fact check through researching to multiple reliable source instead of focusing to 1 or 2 article that spreads negativity and wrong information about Bitcoin.

It’s that newbie is easy to be discouraged once they saw first the fake information that’s why it’s important to guide them back with the right info.

Introduce him to Bitcointalk and let him discuss with member here publicly since every post here undergo to fact check always from reliable member.

Did you mean P2P trades but physically in person?

If it is P2P trade online, it is less risky than physical in person P2P trade as it contains risk of physical attacks. It's the same with both types of P2P trades, as you can be scammed by your trade partner and lose your bitcoin. With in person trade, you will possibly lose your bitcoin and also your life, it's very dangerous.

Dangerous and brutal physical Bitcoin attacks. (https://github.com/demining/Physical-Bitcoin-Attacks)

Information is free to upload to the Internet as people have freedom of speech so there are mixed information on the Internet. Doing research, comparing search results and having proper skills for searching to verify and compare information is important.

It's wrong to instantly believe in what you find and read without cross checking it.

Yeah.

Honestly I rarely heard financial advisors or medias who talking about invest in stock will make you lose, but I hear more the good news about stock can earn 7% per year. However in my experience, investing in stock was disaster, the stock I invested got delisted from the market lol.

While Bitcoin, it's mostly high risk asset, use for criminal or something that can't be "trusted".

Despite like that, I believe overtime people will learn.

Bitcoin is in digital form which means that even if it is used for illicit activities, it's transaction is traceable through the blockchain. Inasmuch as money is concerned, be it in physical or digital form there will be people who will want to use it for bad motives. However, if we are to even compare between bitcoin and fiat which can be used for illegal use i will say that fiats is more vulnerable because it can be stolen and hidden for years without traces since they are in cash. Some greedy politicians have hidden and secret rooms where they hide cash beyond traces. It's not about using money to commit a crime, can it be tracked?

However, i also saw some misconception about bitcoin on the internet but what we need to know is that we should not take information from only one source, it is better to search different sites to know the real truth. We should also know that some information on the internet are filtered so it's not everything that Google and other search engines will give you accurate information of what you want to know.

I guess he saw some old articles because we are in a state where governments are thinking about making bitcoin as strategic reserve so the statement that bitcoin is used for only illicit activities is no more valid when governments have started acknowledging that bitcoin is more than that. And choosing bitcoin for money laundering can be a worse idea because the trails are stored permanently, and one can check all the path of the moved funds if not mixed just with the help of explorers and if want government can even access the data of mixers which makes the is not the preferred option.

You should have quoted the writeup above that talked about Bitcoin being used for whatever was mentioned. I have read something like that, but I'm struggling to remember the exact website that I read it from. But I think there were other things written in that same article that talked about Bitcoin, but I'm a bit surprised why your home boy didn't put them into consideration, but rather stick with the bad part.

Of course, people use Bitcoin for illicit activities, but that doesn't make Bitcoin terrible. If we are to judge Bitcoin as an illicit tool, then it would also be fair to call fiat, gold, and every other precious assets as an illicit tool as well, but unfortunately, the media and the supposed content writers won't do that.

I think poor use of algorithm is why some people do have wrong information on their feed. When you search for "Bitcoin importance and it's benefit to society", your algorithm is going to personalized your search and continue to give you good aspect of Bitcoin but if you search for "bad things Bitcoin is used for", the search is going to personalized it and continue to feed the person base in what they search. What we feed search engines sometimes determine our outcome result.

People need to be positive about the things they listen to, they need to avoid bad information. Fiat crime is one of the biggest place where crime happen. There used to be crime at all time high before we have Bitcoin, even if there is bad side for Bitcoin, it's not much as it's been project by the media but because Bitcoin is winning by value of price, they used it push wrong information so people can stay away from it as possible but propaganda are obky short time, the truth will be reveal eventually.

Everything has its advantages and disadvantages, some would say it's pros and cons, bitcoin as a currency like other currencies out there has its own pros and cons too, and one of such may be exactly what quoted above that the internet says about bitcoin, but for some one is already matured and in their right senses, they would or should already know that this cons or disadvantage isn't something or an issue strong enough to make some one ignore bitcoin completely.

As a matter of like, every of those mentioned crimes plus even much more has been in existence way before bitcoin came into existence, how were they financed, is it not through the same dirty fiat currencies the government is controlling us all with.? And even till this day, many of the perpetrators of this crimes still use fiat and we do not complain, how come some people complain now?

Both can be used for crime. 14 years old is probably young but maybe it worth to speak about life. In general, life is full of propaganda. Governments try to label Bitcoin as a currency used for every wrong thing because governments find it hard to control Bitcoin but recently, as blockchain analysis developed compared to old time, they rarely follow this trend and now they try to control it.
I would contribute following to that: Everything has pros and cons. A knife can be used to cut bread and it can also be used to cut someone's throat. We have to be good and do not use things for wrong purposes.

Bitcoin or fiat, if your intention is to use it as a tool for a crime, you will most likely succeed especially if you know how to take advantage of its potential usage. But if you study it more deeply, fiat is where most crimes possible to happen because the security and transparency aren’t that high compared to bitcoin where it is traceable because of its high transparency.

Sometimes, just a mere research isn’t reliable enough. You need to go dig deeper and search on trustable sources so that you will also gain a valid and reliable fact or idea, and not just a mere speculation that has no clarity and transparency.

It is not his fault, a 14 years old child won't be able to comprehend easily what most adults are finding difficult to understand. Don't avoid his ignorance, start from now to explain Bitcoin and how to use it. Everything about the internet isn't true, the internet knows how to mix up both  truth ideas and those that contradicts the real idea.

Government can decide to print huge bulk of money and keep it in a ware house. Fiat is far worse what to compare with Bitcoin as transactions are recorded in a public ledger while fiat is centralized and every transactions can be hidden and mishandled just to favor one side.

I won't put a lot of convincing explanation to that person. Just give him the usual ones that you know and let him decide whether he's going to invest in bitcoin or not. Because what matters there is he understands what he invests on it and if there's a belief from him that bitcoin is being used for illegal matters just like fiat, it's hard to twist that belief from him and he's not wrong with that. Because it all started from that when bitcoin was still new although things have changed a lot already and he needs to understand that as well.

It’s a common first impression to see Bitcoin linked with crime online but that’s because sensational headlines sell better than balanced reporting. The reality is, studies from Chainalysis and even government agencies show that illicit transactions in Bitcoin account for less than 1% of total volume today.

 Compare that to fiat, where trillions move yearly through banks in money laundering and corruption scandals,  yet it doesn’t make the evening news the same way. Bitcoin’s transparent ledger actually makes it harder for criminals to hide compared to opaque fiat systems. Beginners just need to look beyond the headlines.

This is the reason why you don’t have to stick to a single source or site but it’s more preferable to go on multiple sources so that you can compare their datas and make your own conclusion by the end of your research. This isn’t just for bitcoin but even in other words or terminologies, that’s why it pays to make a careful and proper research.

Also, what do you expect when we all know the government does not support bitcoin. Of course, bitcoin gains the negative impact while fiat remains to claim the positive spot.

These are the information the internet passes around to people and the innocent users of the internet fall victim of them, and that is why some persons still have an ugly mindset towards bitcoin and when you are trying to disprove their believe about bitcoin they still don't believe because they so much believe in what the internet has said, I want to believe that these are people against bitcoin .

What you did is wright by not going further to explain to him because of his age, since he will not be able to control money, but I believe that as soon as he knows the truth about bitcoin, he will come back to you.

The way bitcoin has gone wide globally, I still don't know why people still rely and believe in most internet information, knowing fully well that some of their informations are wrong.

When comparing these crimes, remember how many people have been helped by Bitcoin. Isn't fiat currency the same? I think it's the same. Fiat is also very easy to use for crimes, and transactions are even easier because it's already globally recognized. Remember, they don't know Bitcoin specifically, so many say it's dangerous. Information on the internet isn't always accurate, so do your research before drawing conclusions. Many individuals dislike Bitcoin, creating negative narratives about it.

Both fiat and bitcoin are unrelated and not for crime. Because both are just tools, while crime is human behavior. That means if you have bad intentions or corrupt intentions, you can commit crimes using any tool you want.

Misinformation about bitcoin on the internet is also due to human behavior, bitcoin haters are spreading negative information about it. It's not the internet's fault, it's the bitcoin haters' fault.

Likewise, you are imparting your wrong knowledge about fiat to him. It's your fault, not fiat money's.

We should not be biased and distort the truth like bitcoin haters, and spread misinformation. It will create huge consequences. Both fiat and bitcoin were created to serve people, neither currency was created to serve illegal activities.

Bitcoin is labelled that way on the Internet but that doesn't necessarily mean that Bitcoin is for crime activity, there are thousands of people using Bitcoin and there are benefitimg from its ability too to be used as a means of store of value which have gave so many people financial freedom. When it comes to the aspect of abusing currency, not one is left out thats why even the fiat is used for smuggling and laundering but the ignorant society have painted and dented this trait to only Bitcoin which is very bad. For me I think with time many will have the eye opener about Bitcoin and I pray that time isn't all that late for most perons to start regret.

Fiat and Bitcoin are just tools. That will depend on how you use both. If you use it for good, you will not get any problem and vice versa. You can let your friend don't want to interfere in Bitcoin and let him choose whatever he wants. You just need to focus on yourself and accumulate more Bitcoin because that is your goal.

People can use fiat and Bitcoin for criminal reasons but we don't know how they do that. If they can hide the way, they will be free to use fiat or Bitcoin for their own reason. Your friend needs to research more so he can understand the reason.

Based on what you said, I guess it's because financial experts often use the US stock market as an example. Because it is one of the largest and most profitable financial markets in the world, and has created many billionaires in the world over the past decades. But unfortunately, not everyone can access the US market due to legal and regulatory issues, and many people invest in local stocks which have higher risks and less than expected results.


I think this is outdated news, and if we search about bitcoin these days. These news will no longer appear on the first page of search results unless you intentionally use search keyword " bitcoin with criminals". Only then will old news be displayed.

Some people are impossible to convince. Facts do not matter to them because they already have made up their minds before the conversation even began. But there is a way to get through to them. What you have to do is connect Bitcoin to something he likes. If he is all about transparency, he would prefer the publically viewable and retraceable Bitcoin transactions over fiat.

Well, it's good that you said that Fiat on the other hand is being used in dirty things as well, just like Bitcoin.

Nowadays, there really are lots of misinformation online compared to how many it is back when I'm still starting to learn about Bitcoin. I'm always suggesting to newbies out there to watch documentaries with regards to Bitcoin, but I don't even know if these documentaries will give legit or fake information as well. That helped me though so I still believe that there are some videos out there that are giving out LEGIT information to newbies.

At the end of the day, it's your homeboy's choice on whether he will involve himself into Bitcoin or not. Sometimes, your success can attract him so if you're persistent in letting him into crypto, maybe showing some of your profits to him will make him consider on whether he will try it or not. What's good is that he knows that a thing such as Bitcoin is existing at such a young age already. When I was in his age, I don't even have any knowledge about investing in general, let alone Bitcoin or cryptocurrency.

Let's not forget that there are also some people with big loads of money who hated Bitcoin for few years and suddenly they started supporting Bitcoin, I think they knew how great Bitcoin was going to become, they intentionally spread FUD so that they can cause some panic in the market and secretly start buying some Bitcoin.

There is no rich man that will be stupid enough to fade Bitcoin, they can only pretend that they don't have it just to slow the adoption down a bit and give them enough time to accumulate for themselves.

Any tools or things created by man can be used in both good and evil.  Medicine that is created to cure can poison a person if overdosed.  From it depends on the person using this tool and Bitcoin being a currency is neutral on its own.  Those who use it to do evil are the culprit just like how these criminals use fiat currency to pay people on doing their bad things.  Aside from that, cash due to its long time use and global adoption have way more record than Bitcoin if we are talking about being used to illicit activities. 

So, in short, we can tell that kid that Bitcoin, just like cash, can be used to do good and bad things, it all depends on the person holding it.

The internet and several search engines currently available clearly show us who is behind all of this, so it is only natural that the controls imposed refer to things that indicate negativity, because from the outset they have not been very fond of bitcoin.
So it is only natural for me that when searching for Bitcoin, the risks and FUD created inevitably point to this, and this situation has persisted for several years now, with Bitcoin consistently being associated with criminal activity, environmental destruction, and so on.

Even though it seems misleading, in the end, we can also make some things that show that Bitcoin is like that, and with this forum, we can see much bigger facts where what the media and some search engines say is not entirely true, especially for taboo things because Bitcoin is still quite taboo even though its distribution is getting wider.
Personally, I prefer to ask questions in forums for matters like this rather than searching on existing search engines.

There is so much misinformation and wrong information on the internet and the ability to sift through the ones that is correct and the one that is wrong is it still there should be developed. In Bitcoin for beginners once you see an information that will cause more than once you know that it is the correct one compared to the one that is just occurring one time. This is for people who do not have the quick help they need. It was one of the ways I found my way around Bitcoin information on the internet.

This is not enough reason to ignore Bitcoin when people are taking the opportunity of buying seriously. I don't think anyone will choose not to invest in Bitcoin because of what they see on the Internet when the government and big firms are buying Bitcoin so that they can make profits from the market. We don't need to beg people to put their money on Bitcoin, this is a lifetime investment that will be fucking profitable when hold for a long time. Anyone that chooses not to invest is left to them and there should be no need to complete anybody. Anyone that want to adopt it will do so switfly without a second thought.

It's unfortunate Bitcoin is linked to sketchy businesses and I don't blame the internet because we have people with an agenda not to allow people to get financial freedom and these are scared tactics to keep BTC to themselves!!

Secondly the cyber space isn't regulated, so people are free to spread FUD and no one will be accountable for this... Otherwise bitcoin has several positive user cases and people are buying everyday, lets to be pressured not to buy.

If beginners find misleading internet searches about Bitcoin they will learn the hard way. Beginners will find wrong and correct information sources. There are information sources like websites and forums they must find the correct information to learn.

He is not that mature, so if won't be spending too much time thinking, if he is in fight or flight mode, mostly the younger ones are in flight mode, they see something is not right for them they do it or they don't do it no matter how we teach them, about the good and wrong ideas, once they have made their minds, it becomes hard.

If you try to teach him about Bitcoin he will still have that idea implanted in his mind that Bitcoin is used for bad purposes, while this is totally wrong, by the way, which site is telling him this, or what was the query? As on my side, I searched what Bitcoin is and nothing like this appeared, it all depends on the questions, too.

Actually, if you went to check the news, a lot of articles about investments firm that are into Bitcoin. Surface level of course can cause a misunderstanding for a beginner but of course, we need to be specific on what we will search on our internet 'cause money involvement always have risks. You can even ask chatgpt with good prompts to justify things, it's easy nowadays, it's just people are just lazy or not interested that's why it's the thing that's set to their mind.

The reasons are not valid, bitcoin is mainstream right now and me that came from a younger generation adapted it so well.

The internet is free for everyone and anyone to access ,and truly, it could be misleading to a few who does not know how to go around it. The internet has regulatory bodies, that watch what's posted and how it is/should be posted. For instance, if the government of that country is not aligning with crypto currency, the possibility of seeing such on search engines is very high. The information we get online is under the jurisdiction of the ruling government, and that makes it possible to see some informations that's can be heart breaking.

Criminals can use any currency for criminal activities. Just as fiat currency is used in crime, anyone can use Bitcoin. However, Bitcoin is not a single currency that is used only for criminal activities. A 14-year-old child is like clay. He will understand exactly how he is explained to. Maybe he has heard something negative about Bitcoin from Google, so he has a negative idea in his mind. If he wanted to hear something positive from Google, Google would have explained it to him in that way. Unlike the children of the 90s, today's children do not have to learn anything through hard work. So if he understands what Bitcoin is, his idea will be clear.

He's not ready to adopt  Bitcoin yet. Almost all the information we get about Bitcoin are on the internet.  Both genuine and misleading information are there on the internet and that is the main reason why no one should base his judgement about Bitcoin from just one source. Try different sources; YouTube, forums etc. I am amazed at how people are quick to jump into conclusions without thorough findings. That's their way of telling you that they are not really interested.

You would be surprised that most of these critics of Bitcoin are getting their information from social media.

Yeah it can be confusing if they only do one sided research and people don't know how to check multiple sources on where they find those information since they would really get confused about those situation.

But for sure for those bad things created on Bitcoin there are lot of good articles tackle its great use or other useful aspects. That's why numbers of people using it still growing since those negative information shared didn't bother many people to try to invest on Bitcoin.

If someone you know got discourage about Bitcoin because of that matter then don't force him to understand and use Bitcoin because it will never bring any good result. Just let them think about that since for sure in future they realize that they made a mistake for not trying to know Bitcoin on more deeper and valuable sense.

It is very possible that he did not ask the proper question that is why he did not get the proper answer because from the same Internet is where some people were able to verify the opportunities that Bitcoin has and then become convinced to invest. The internet is garbage in, garbage out, which means that if you don't fix in the proper parameters, you will never get the proper answer.

I feel people also need to develop the consciousness that not all the information gotten from the internet is correct, there are many false information on the internet, and one needs to be cautious.

We are already in 2025, and I don't think that Bitcoin is still being used by criminals. And if so, they government are still going to go after their groups, (drug related money, terrorism, darknet and others, so).

Criminal use ≠ main use.

And if we have been in the market, we all know that around the world, old and traditional finance like cash are being moved around by corrupt officials or even big companies to hide and harder to trace. But I guess there are still forces in the media trying to discredit Bitcoin in any way shape or form that's why when you search it on Big G for example, the first thing that you will get is the negative side.

In real life, you can't just hear someone speak and immediately believe them without any verification. Likewise, the Internet is like a miniature society. Information needs to be filtered and combined from various sources to get the final result. You can't blame the internet just because it provides some misinformation about bitcoin while negating the thousands of other accurate results it provides.

That guy has a misconception about bitcoin, it's his fault, and it shows he doesn't really care about it or is ignorant. It's not the internet's fault.

In essence, if we only view Bitcoin from a negative perspective, the results will inevitably be the same, although that's not always true. Fundamentally, money laundering using Bitcoin is certainly not easy, as the blockchain system, as we know, is highly transparent. Therefore, I believe that criminals who attempt to launder money using Bitcoin will likely have difficulty, as they will most likely end up sending the money to an exchange, where they will likely be discovered. But that's not the crux of the problem; some people are still swayed by public opinion that Bitcoin is a tool for crime. In fact, I don't think that's a problem, as I'm sure sooner or later those who say that will regret not buying Bitcoin.

Because Bitcoin, or fiat currency, is essentially neutral, and it's humans that make it positive or negative. So, in essence, if someone commits a crime using Bitcoin or fiat currency, I believe we should blame the perpetrator, not the tool. Because basically, everything in this world can be used for evil or good. So, given this, I think we must be wise about this. So, in conclusion, we must understand the important points and not get hung up on useless things. And never judge an asset like Bitcoin.

Sometimes, it depends on the way you ask questions that determines whether the internet will give you the right answers. Some beginners do not know how to ask questions about Bitcoin, and the way you ask questions on the internet often influences the kind of answers you get.

The important point to remember is that it’s human beings who feed the internet with information. So, not everything you read online should be accepted as the absolute truth. It’s better to dig deeper look for answers in different places, like forums or trusted sources that provide legit information about what you're researching.

So, I am not surprised that there are some misleading information about Bitcoin internet. Not everyone likes Bitcoin, and not everyone is going to give accurate or helpful information about it. Also, we should be mindful of how we phrase our questions on the internet.

Your son is 14 years old and you are having conversations with him about money and crypto? Keep up the good work.
I never had conversations with my father about money when I was a teenager. ;D I had to learn about money and finance without anyone mentoring me.
I think that teenagers are usually interested in illegal stuff(not that they necessarily want to commit crimes, they are just curious), maybe your son is the only exception. Perhaps he might become interested in Bitcoin/crypto after several years.
What's being found on the internet about Bitcoin is truthful, we can't lie all the non-Bitcoiners about Bitcoin not being used for illicit activities.
In reality, all forms of money are being used for illicit activities.

Many online articles claim that Bitcoin is digital gold because of its similar properties. This is a misconception, as Bitcoin is Bitcoin, and digital gold is digital gold - the two are vastly different. While Bitcoin can function as a store of value like gold, they are still distinct. Bitcoin is decentralized, allowing people to transact anywhere in the world without intermediaries and securely. Its supply is also limited, and individuals can hold it in their own non-custodial wallet without the possibility of third parties interfering. These characteristics clearly distinguish Bitcoin from digital gold, which is a digital representation of physical gold typically managed by a third party.

Gold is gold and digital gold or blockchainzed or tokenized gold is not gold. It is similar to bitcoin and Wrapped Bitcoin token which are different. Wrapped Bitcoin tokens are never bitcoins.

If you want gold, buy gold physically.
If you want bitcoin, buy bitcoins and ignore all wrapped tokens, Bitcoin Spot ETG shares.

More comparison between Bitcoin and gold as well as many insights in this book.
The bullish case for Bitcoin. (https://vijayboyapati.medium.com/the-bullish-case-for-bitcoin-part-1-of-4-94087a70d9e8)

Bitcoin is younger than gold but it is better. It also has better adoption growth, and proce growth than gold since 2009.

I've noticed that too many people blindly trust what they see on social media and in search engine results. Facebook is very popular in my region and I see lots of my friends sharing information without really understanding how true it is. They also don't check the source. I have seen cases when the page clearly says in its name, title, that it's a troll page and people still share it like it's a serious information.

If I were you, I would teach that kid how to filter information on the internet. I would teach him that you shouldn't depend only on one source and you have to check the same information on multiple websites, including forums too.

Well said, OP doesn't need to explain or try to convince that kid about bitcoin or fiat. Instead, teach him how to filter information and provide reliable sources of information. That way, he will be able to find out the truth about bitcoin himself and have the most correct and realistic view of bitcoin.

Don't waste time explaining and convincing him or anyone, because that will make us look like we need them or are trying to trick them. There is no better explanation or persuasion than letting them find out the evidence, the truth, for themselves.

Yea that's it. The goal right now is not to convince anyone to invest in bitcoin or adopt it. Rather, to understand Bitcoin from different viewpoints  and sources. That kid has only read the negative half-baked information from the internet, it is our duty to direct him to other places he can get genuine information; not neccessarily a place where he will get overhyped information about Bitcoin.

If possible, refer this forum to him so he can get authentic information. The choice should be his to make at the end if he wants to hold on to the initial information he got or be open to learning.

Serene information on bitcoin are meant to be researched. Documented works and books. Bitcoin is not like any other course where a several blog posts can conclude. The person must stay current at the happenings and changes in the market. The moves from top VCs, which direction of the market are there heading forward too.

What also matters is the next decision, they'd take after figuring out the truth, would they doubt action?

Well, Sun is good, but it doesn't stop shining on criminals and their activities. Atleast part of its role is to expose criminals to enable people take action, but not through jungle justice or by committing more crimes, but in lawful manner. Besides, no matter the amount of crimes happening under the sun, it does not dime its light or stop it from shining. The right thing the sun would do is to shine even brighter for the criminals to be exposed even more. The wrong thing will be to stop shining or dime its light, and that will mean the criminals can flourish under the cover of darkness. The latter part (dimed light or no light) is what fiat currencies do, thereby allowing all manner of evil to happen in darkness. Part of the role of Bitcoin is to be transparent and expose crimes otherwise it becomes like dark/opaque fiat currencies all over the world.

By the way, people value Bitcoin alot and wouldn't want to waste it on worthless things like you allege the 14 year old does with his fiat money. And if you send Bitcoin to terrorist or things like that, and the community knows about it, it will become difficult for the terrorist to easily spend the Bitcoin as it will be tracked/tagged and possibly confiscated by responsible businesses or people