Online grooming is a type of child abuse where someone befriends a child online and builds up their trust with the intention of exploiting them and causing them harm. The harm caused by grooming can be sexual abuse, both in person and online, and exploitation to obtain sexually explicit images and videos of the child. Grooming techniques could also be used to radicalize someone or to obtain financial information from the child or their family.
Groomers are very skilled at what they do and can often befriend a child by appearing to have the same hobbies and interests as them. They use fake profiles on social networks to connect with children and pretend to have similar interests, use gifts and compliments to build a relationship with them. Online groomers are not always strangers, and in many situations, they may already have met the child through their family or social activities and may use the internet to build rapport with them.
Online grooming can happen on social media, gaming sites, or any site that allows individuals to communicate with one another. Since this kind of grooming happens online, the signs may be harder to recognize. Similar to grooming in general, online grooming is a process that can occur over a period of time to ultimately exploit children through sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, or trafficking.
It is important to talk to children about how to stay safe online and to recognize the signs of grooming. Some of the signs that a child may be being groomed include:
- Receiving gifts or money from someone they have met online
- Spending a lot of time online, especially at night
- Becoming secretive about their online activities
- Receiving phone calls or messages from people they dont know
- Becoming withdrawn or anxious
If you suspect that a child is being groomed, it is important to report it to the appropriate authorities.
