What Is Grooming?
An educational tool for parents, children and teens: grooming stages, warning signs and what to do, with a practice quiz.
Contact and selection
An adult (or someone pretending to be a minor) contacts children or teenagers on social media, online games or messaging apps, often posing as someone their age or with similar interests.
Why does it work?
They usually look for profiles with little supervision, public posts or signs of loneliness or emotional vulnerability, because they are easier to manipulate.
Common tactics
- Fake profiles with photos of another, younger person
- Contact through online games popular with minors
- Flattering comments on public posts
- Presents as a "talent scout", model or someone with opportunities
Warning signs and what to do
- Set profiles to private and review requests from strangers
- Don't accept requests from people you don't know in person
- Talk at home about who contacts them online, without judging
For parents and caregivers
Talk before anything happens
Talk early on about what is and isn't normal in an online friendship, without creating fear, building trust so they'll tell you things.
No secrets with adults online
Teach them that no adult worth trusting will ever ask them to keep a conversation or a photo secret.
Set up privacy, don't spy
Help set up private profiles and age-appropriate parental controls, instead of secretly checking their phone, which breaks trust.
Watch for changes in behavior
Sudden isolation, secrecy with their phone, anxiety when receiving messages, or spending/gifts you can't explain are signals to start a conversation.
For children and teenagers
Your body and your photos are yours
Nobody has the right to ask you for intimate photos or videos, no matter what they promise in return.
Be suspicious of anyone who asks for secrets
If someone online asks you not to tell your parents or friends, it's a warning sign.
You're not in trouble for telling
If something made you uncomfortable or has already gone too far, tell a trusted adult: it's not your fault.
Keep the evidence, don't delete it
Take screenshots of the conversation before blocking the person: they help when reporting.
If you suspect a child or teenager is being groomed
- Don't blame or scold them: they need to feel they can talk without fear.
- Keep evidence: screenshots, usernames, phone numbers and dates.
- Don't delete the conversations or block the contact before reporting.
- Report the profile or account directly on the platform where it happened.
- Report it to the authorities and seek psychological support if needed.
Where to report (Colombia)
- NCMEC CyberTipline: report.cybertip.org
- ICBF — Helpline for children and teenagers: 141
- National Police — Virtual CAI: caivirtual.policia.gov.co, or emergency line 123
Nota
This information is educational and does not replace legal, psychological or police advice. If a minor is in immediate danger, contact your country's emergency line first and always check the current official channels.