Grooming and Contact with Strangers

Grooming is the process by which an adult progressively gains a child's trust online, with the aim of abusing that relationship. It usually progresses in stages: casual initial contact, compliments and virtual gifts, isolating the child from those close to them, and finally increasingly invasive requests, such as asking for photos or in-person meetings. It frequently happens in video games with chat, social networks and messaging apps, where the adult can pretend to be someone the same age. The best defense isn't banning contact with other people online, but teaching the child that no legitimate trusted adult will ask them to keep secrets, send private photos or meet alone, and that they can tell someone without fear of getting into trouble.