Contact from Online Strangers
How strangers make contact with children online, the risks involved, and how to teach your child to stay safe.
What is this?
Children can be contacted by strangers through social media, gaming, messaging apps, and online forums. While not every unknown contact is dangerous, some strangers deliberately seek out children for harmful purposes. Teaching children to recognise and manage contact from people they do not know is a fundamental part of online safety.
How it works
Strangers may send friend requests, direct messages, or comments on public posts. In gaming environments, they may join voice chats or send in-game messages. Some use fake profiles that appear to be a similar age to the child. The initial contact is usually friendly and flattering, designed to build trust before any harmful intentions become apparent.
Warning signs
In your child's behaviour
- • Talking about a new online friend they have never met in person
- • Being secretive about conversations or quickly switching screens when you approach
- • Receiving gifts, game currency, or other perks from someone they know only online
On their device
- • Messages or friend requests from unknown accounts, particularly older-looking profiles
- • New contacts appearing in messaging apps that the child cannot explain
- • Downloads of apps or platforms your child does not normally use, possibly at someone else's suggestion
Prevention steps
Establish a 'known contacts only' rule
Agree that your child will only accept friend requests and messages from people they know in real life. Help them understand why this boundary matters.
Role-play stranger scenarios
Practise what your child should do if a stranger contacts them online. Make it concrete: show them how to block, how to report, and what to say to you.
Restrict contact settings on all platforms
Set messaging and friend request settings to 'friends only' or 'contacts only' on every app and platform your child uses.
What to do if it happens
- 1Stay calm and thank your child for telling you. Avoid reacting in a way that might make them regret coming forward.
- 2Block the person and report the account to the platform. Save screenshots of any messages as evidence.
- 3If the contact was sexual, threatening, or from an adult, report it to CEOP or contact the police.
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.
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Last reviewed: 2026-04-19