Online Grooming
How to recognise online grooming behaviour, protect your child from predatory adults, and respond if you suspect grooming is taking place.
What is this?
Online grooming is when someone builds a relationship with a child in order to exploit or abuse them. Groomers often use social media, gaming platforms, and messaging apps to make contact. The process can be gradual, making it difficult for a child — or parent — to recognise until significant trust has been established.
How it works
A groomer typically identifies a vulnerable child and begins by offering attention, compliments, and gifts. Over time they isolate the child from friends and family, introduce sexual content, and create a sense of secrecy and obligation. They may use multiple platforms simultaneously and encourage the child to move conversations to private or encrypted channels.
Warning signs
In your child's behaviour
- • Being secretive about who they are talking to online and becoming defensive when asked
- • Receiving unexpected gifts, money, or game credits from an unknown source
- • Using sexual language or having knowledge that is not age-appropriate
On their device
- • Hidden or encrypted messaging apps that were not installed by a parent or carer
- • Switching screens or closing apps quickly when an adult approaches
- • Contact from unknown adults in gaming friend lists, followers, or message requests
Prevention steps
Teach children about grooming tactics
Use age-appropriate language to explain that not everyone online is who they say they are. Help them understand that genuine adults do not ask children to keep secrets from their parents.
Monitor friend lists and contacts
Periodically review who your child is connecting with on games, social media, and messaging apps. Ask about any new contacts in a conversational, non-confrontational way.
Set privacy settings to maximum
Ensure profiles are set to private, direct messages are restricted to known contacts, and location sharing is turned off on every platform your child uses.
What to do if it happens
- 1Stay calm, believe your child, and reassure them that they have done the right thing by telling you.
- 2Do not confront the suspected groomer or delete any messages — preserve all evidence for the authorities.
- 3Report immediately to CEOP (ceop.police.uk) or call the police on 999 if there is an immediate risk.
Related topics
If you need to report this
In immediate danger: call 999. For non-emergency police matters, call 101.
Concerned about a child but it's not an emergency? NSPCC helpline 0808 800 5000. Childline for young people 0800 1111.
This is practical educational content to support families. For case-specific concerns about a child's safety, contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or your local safeguarding team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Resources
Was this page helpful?
Last reviewed: 2026-04-19