Online grooming
Online grooming is the process by which when someone builds a relationship with a child or adult at risk online so they can harm, abuse or exploit them.
It can occur across all online platforms including social media, messaging apps, online games, livestreaming platforms and chat rooms.
Children and adults at risk can be groomed for many harmful purposes, including:
- sexual harm and abuse
- production of abuse images or videos
- human trafficking and other forms of modern slavery
- financial extortion
- criminal exploitation such as drug trafficking
- radicalisation
Online grooming may also include ‘catfishing’- where someone uses a fake persona to build a relationship.
Anybody can groom, regardless of age, gender, race or background.
Online grooming is often a more rapid process than grooming in person, and there is greater anonymity for the perpetrator online. Contact may start on one platform but move between multiple platforms; often moving from public forums to private chats. Once the perpetrator has gained a person’s trust, harm and abuse might occur in person or online, for example by eliciting images or personal details to control and manipulate the person.
Common characteristics of online grooming include:
- building trust – creating an emotional bond with the person, often making connections by pretending to have shared interests or hobbies.
- secrecy – encouraging the person to keep the relationship a secret, often using disappearing messages.
- testing boundaries – gradually introducing inappropriate topics or requests.
- manipulation, control and coercion – getting the person to do what they want through gifts, flattery, money, threats or blackmail.
- requests for personal data – asking for photos, videos or personal information.
- isolation and fear – creating total dependency on the perpetrator.
Online grooming of children
Any child is at risk of being groomed, although some children are more at risk of grooming than others e.g. care experienced children, children with disabilities, children who are neurodivergent, children who have experienced Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), children experiencing poverty and children who are experiencing neglect. This is because perpetrators will target particularly vulnerabilities and exploit these to gain the child’s trust.
Across the UK, there are various laws that relate to online grooming, and you should always report concerns about online grooming to your Safeguarding Lead.
Signs and indicators that a child may be groomed online could include:
- spending increasing amounts of time on the internet.
- becoming increasingly secretive – particularly around use of their phone or other devices.
- shutting the door and hiding what they have on screen when someone enters the room.
- not being able to talk openly about their activity online.
- becoming possessive of their phone and concerned if someone else picks it up and wants to look at it.
- agitated behaviour when answering their phone and needing to take the call in private.
- developing a pattern of leaving the family home for periods of time with no explanation about where they are going.
- withdrawing from family and friends, spending increasing amounts of time talking secretly with the new friend online.
- sudden, unexplained behaviour change and mood swings.
- self-harm
External links:
Parent Club (Scotland)
Gov Wales (Wales)
Online Safety Hub (Northern Ireland)
Parent/Carer Resources:
Resources for children and young people
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Page last updated: 12 November 2025