What Is Online Grooming?
Online grooming is when an adult deliberately builds a friendship or relationship with a child or teenager online in order to gain their trust and eventually exploit them, often for the purpose of sexual abuse.
At first, the interaction may seem like ordinary communication. However, over time it can escalate into requests for intimate photos or videos, or even attempts to arrange an in-person meeting.
Groomers are often highly skilled at deception. They may pretend to be the same age as the child, create fake social media profiles, use someone else’s photos, and talk about topics that interest young people, such as games, films, music, or hobbies. Adult men may even pose as girls in order to start conversations with boys. Their primary goal is to gain a child’s trust.
However, not all groomers pretend to be children. Some choose to present themselves as trustworthy or influential adults, such as sports coaches, modelling agents, talent scouts, or popular bloggers. They may tell a teenager that they “see great potential” in them or that they “want to help them succeed” — all in an effort to create emotional attachment and dependency.
Groomers tend to seek out children in the online spaces where they spend their time, including social media platforms, messaging apps, and gaming chats. They often try to isolate a child from parents and friends so that the child is less likely to seek help and more likely to comply with their requests.
You can also explore the booklet developed by the All-Ukrainian Public Centre “Volunteer” with the support of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Ukraine.