Persuasion strategies and sexual solicitations and interactions in online sexual grooming of adolescents: Modeling direct and indirect pathways

When Is Online Sexual Solicitation of a Minor Considered Sexual Abuse? Recommendations for Victim Prevalence Surveys

Many new surveys have been developed to assess the prevalence of online sexual abuse. An important type of question asked in many of these surveys is about online sexual solicitation. However, not all sexual solicitations of children necessarily qualify as sexual abuse as it has conventionally been defined. Sexual solicitations from other same age youth may be legal and nonabusive. Solicitations of youth above the age of consent by adults may also be legal. At the same time, many true online sex offenses may not be identified with questions about solicitation wanted or unwanted. This article reviewed 25 online sexual abuse survey reports. It also examined episodes and narratives from the U.S. National Technology Facilitated Abuse (TFA) survey, which asked about online solicitation and other online sexual offenses. Among the surveys reviewed, 9 of 25 elicited and counted online sexual solicitation from adults only, but the rest counted other youth solicitors as well as adults. Eight of 25 asked about only "unwanted" solicitations, but the rest had no such qualification, possibly including solicitations with positive or neutral reactions. Analysis of the TFA survey showed that in over half of solicitation episodes, the recipients did not actually know the age or identity of the solicitor. Very large differences in prevalence rates can occur depending on what types of solicitation are counted and how missing information is classified. Recommendations are made about classifying and reporting on findings about online solicitation.

The Role of Perpetrator Attractiveness and Relationship Dynamics on Perceptions of Adolescent Sexual Grooming

Sexual grooming, exacerbated by increased internet and social media usage , is a growing concern. Past researchers have found differences in perceptions of sexual grooming based on gender-pairing, perpetrator attractiveness, as well as perpetrator and victim age and gender. Our study extends this research by exploring how the attractiveness of the perpetrator and their relationship to the victim - specifically, whether they are a teacher, religious leader, or family friend - affects perceived grooming severity and recommended legal response. Contrary to expectations, relationship type, but not attractiveness, impacted perceptions. Vignettes involving family friends were perceived as less harmful compared to those involving teachers or religious leaders, highlighting nuanced responses based on the perpetrator's role. These findings suggest that grooming perceptions are heavily influenced by the nature of the relationship rather than the attractiveness of the perpetrator, indicating a need for policies and educational initiatives that address these complexities to enhance the detection and prevention of sexual grooming.

Online Child Sexual Exploitation and the Role of Computer-Mediated Communication: A Scoping Review

The online landscape has shifted since the rise of smartphones and social media in the 2010s and altered the way children use technologies. Along with a reliance on computer-mediated communication (CMC) is the concern of online child sexual exploitation (OCSE). This scoping review provided an updated examination of the prevalence, risk factors, outcomes, and disclosures of OCSE since 2010. Systematic searches were conducted using three databases for studies published between January 2010 and January 2023. Results indicated an alarming prevalence of, and a wide range of risk factors and consequences associated with OCSE worldwide. Many young victims struggled to recognize OCSE as a serious form of abuse. The need to monitor the ever-changing Internet landscape for young users is highlighted.

The prevalence of child sexual abuse with online sexual abuse added

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Research efforts are measuring various forms of online sexual abuse. There is a need to incorporate such measures of online sexual abuse into the calculation of overall prevalence rates for child sexual abuse.

PARTICIPANTS

A sample of 2639 respondents aged 18-to-28 was recruited from a nationally representative online panel.

METHODS

Using an online questionnaire, respondents were assessed via self-report about 9 types of online sexual abuse in childhood and were also assessed with 2 questions that have been used to assess generic child sexual abuse prevalence in previous surveys.

RESULTS

The addition of the online abuse to the generic questions about child sexual abuse raised the overall prevalence rate from 13.5 % to 21.7 %. The rate for females increased from 19.8 % to 31.6 % and for males from 6.2 % to 10.8 %. The largest independent contribution to the overall combined increase were the offenses involving non-consensual image sharing and voluntary online sexual interactions with an impermissibly older adult partner. The inclusion of the online sexual abuse exposures also increased the ability to identify the survivors with the highest levels of current psychological distress.

CONCLUSION

The study highlights the importance of counting and including online sexual abuse in efforts to estimate the overall prevalence of childhood sexual abuse. The paper proposes 2 or 3 questions that could be added to sexual abuse questionnaires to assess these online offenses efficiently.

Criminological differences between contact-driven and online-focused suspects in online child sexual grooming police reports

BACKGROUND

Differences exist between contact and noncontact-driven online child sexual abuse offenders; however, there is still a notable lack of empirical studies with police samples from non-English speaking countries, including Spain.

OBJECTIVE

We address this gap by analyzing the criminological characteristics of online child sexual grooming (OCSG) suspected offenders from de-identified law enforcement investigations in Spain.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

We anonymously coded data provided by Spanish law enforcement agencies from 257 OCSG cases (i.e., unique chat logs between a suspect and minor) extracted from 98 police reports with index investigation years from 2008 to 2021. A total of 101,391 messages were analyzed.

METHODS

Three distinct datasets were created: 257 OCSG cases, 120 unique suspects (79 online-focused, 41 contact-driven), and 234 unique victims. Each dataset focused on different criminological variables for analysis, such as grooming strategy, motivation, and victim high-risk behaviors.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences between suspects on gender, age, or criminal offense history. Contact-driven suspects were more likely to use positive rapport (ɸ = 0.18), send unprompted sexually explicit images of themselves (ɸ = 0.19), and offer something in exchange (ɸ = 0.25). Victims of contact-driven individuals were more likely to be male (ɸ = 0.52) and offer something in exchange for sex or sexually explicit images (ɸ = 0.18). Victims of online-focused individuals were more likely to be younger (r = 0.26).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest criminological differences in the online grooming strategies between contact-driven and online-focused suspected offenders in Spain.

A global systematic scoping review of literature on the sexual exploitation of boys

BACKGROUND

Sexual exploitation of children (SEC) is a widespread crime which impacts the child victim across developmental, health and well-being domains. As victims, boys have received much less clinical and research attention. While context-specific factors likely shape the SEC risk, under-recognized gender norms can deny boys' vulnerability. Professional failures to recognize and respond adequately to boys' sexual exploitation may prevent access to support.

OBJECTIVE

This systematic scoping review updates and broadens a previous review of literature addressing prevalence, victim/offender/facilitator characteristics, control mechanisms, as well as the health correlates and outcomes regarding sexual exploitation of boys. This review included international peer-reviewed and gray literature from 38 countries in 14 languages.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Studies from the years 2000 to 2022 that included samples of boys under age 18, or sex-disaggregated data for children under 18, were included. Case studies, systematic reviews, and those reporting on retrospective experiences by adults over 18 were excluded. A total of 254,744 boys were represented across 81 studies.

METHODS

A systematic scoping review considered qualitative and quantitative peer-reviewed publications from eight, English-language databases. English and non-English non-peer reviewed publications ('gray literature') was identified by both ECPAT International's global network of member organizations and citation chaining.

RESULTS

Overall, 81 peer-reviewed (n = 51) and gray literature (n = 30) documents from 38 countries were included. In total, 254,744 youth participated in peer-reviewed studies (N = 217,726) and gray literature (N = 37,018). General prevalence of sexual exploitation of boys was reported at up to 5 %, with higher rates noted in specifically vulnerable sub-populations (e.g., 10 %, trans youth; 26 %, street-connected youth). The literature indicates that sexual exploitation of boys is reported as occurring primarily between 12 and 18 years old. Multi-level factors are linked to SEC, including individual (e.g., disability status), relationship (e.g., child maltreatment, dating violence), community (e.g., community violence), and societal domains (e.g., discriminatory beliefs). SEC victimization is linked with youth mental and physical health concerns, particularly sexual health. Post-traumatic stress symptomatology or disorder was rarely evaluated. Evidence-based treatments were not available, which may be related to a lack of gender-based theoretical models for understanding SEC specifically.

CONCLUSION

The sexual exploitation of boys is a prevalent public health, child rights, and clinical issue. All young people experiencing sexual exploitation face sex- and gender-specific challenges, and this remains the case for boys with indications including family rejection, implicit community tolerance for abuse to service accessibility barriers. Actioning our duty to care for all children requires gender- and trauma-informed lenses. Ongoing surveillance of all forms of violence against children, with gender disaggregation, is essential for practice and policy advancement.

A Growth Mindset and Self-Affirmation Intervention to Reduce Violent and Risky Online Behaviors: The Moderating Role of Previous Victimization

The Internet is the setting for several forms of violent and risky behavior among adolescents, such as cyberbullying, sexualized interactions with adults, sexting, and online dating violence. Often, these behaviors are responses to experiences of online victimization. This study examined the differential effects of a wise intervention (WI), combining growth mindset and self-affirmation strategies, on these behaviors for adolescents who had experienced victimization and those who had not. A sample of 1,085 adolescents (54.3% girls; ages 11-18 years) were randomized into two intervention conditions (WI and an anti-stress control intervention). They completed measures of violent and risky behaviors at pretest and at 3- and 6-month follow-ups and measures of victimization at pretest. The results of multilevel analyses indicated that the WI was beneficial for adolescents without experiences of victimization at pretest, as they displayed smaller increases in online peer aggressions, sexualized interactions with adults, and sexting than the adolescents in the control condition. However, the WI was not beneficial for adolescents with experiences of victimization at pretest. Moreover, the adolescents under the anti-stress control condition displayed better outcome. These findings suggest that previous victimization experiences of adolescents should be considered to select an appropriate intervention.

"I do not remember… You are reminding me now!": Children's difficult experiences during forensic interviews about online sexual solicitation

BACKGROUND

Forensic interviews for children who have undergone online sexual solicitation (OSS) constitute a unique setting compared to other forms of child sexual abuse (CSA). In these cases, the interviewer holds concrete evidence of the abuse in the form of pictures or texts. During the interview, interviewers use these materials to advance the data collection regarding the abuse, a practice that may significantly influence the child's wellbeing.

OBJECTIVE

The current study aims to explore children's experiences during forensic interviews concerning OSS.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

The sample included 20 Jewish children in Israel who were referred to and participated in a forensic investigation.

METHODS

A thematic qualitative methodology was used to analyze the children's narratives.

RESULTS

The findings demonstrate the children's difficulties when confronted with materials related to the abuse. The children detailed the different ways the interview challenged their wellbeing, including visualizing and verbalizing the abuse, new insights, and being videotaped.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings in the current study emphasized the intrinsic challenges that children face in OSS forensic interviews resulting from the tension between the interviewer's need to collect details about the abuse and the child's desire to forget it. Practical ramifications pertaining to these threats to the child's wellbeing, future recommendations, and limitations of the study will be discussed.

Exploring the Importance of Gender, Family Affluence, Parenting Style and Loneliness in Cyberbullying Victimization and Aggression among Romanian Adolescents

The increasing phenomenon of cyberbullying among adolescents needs parental, educational, and social intervention. The study aimed to identify the prevalence of cyberbullying among Romanian adolescents and the importance of gender, family-related factors, self-esteem, and parental styles in both victims and perpetrators. A total of 835 adolescents aged 10-19 years were included in the research. An online questionnaire was specially constructed for this research, gathering socio-demographic and family-related data along with information about cyberbullying as a victim, aggressor, or bystander, and strategies used in order to deal with it. Four psychological scales were used to evaluate self-esteem, loneliness, cybervictimization/cyberaggression, and parental style. (3) Results showed that the most common age for a personal smartphone is M = 10.24 ± 2.43. The main reasons why students use these networks are primarily chatting and fun and less for academic tasks. During the week, adolescents spend 5.53 ± 2.75 h on social media, while during weekends, the duration of smartphone usage almost doubles. Girls are the most common victims of cyberbullying, and less than three-quarters of students believe that aggressors can be both girls and boys, and only a quarter of them have reported an incident. Family affluence, the relationship with parents and classmates, the presence of loneliness and sociodemographic factors were found to be in a strong relationship with the presence of aggression and/or victimization among adolescents. Cyberaggression was found to be positively correlated with the aggressive parental style and negatively correlated with the compassionate and avoidant parental styles. Results are crucial for identifying cyberbullying actors and preventing the negative effects of cyberbullying on psychological, social, and academic life for students, parents, and teachers.

Prevalence of Online Sexual Offenses Against Children in the US

IMPORTANCE

Sexual abuse is increasingly facilitated by technology, but the prevalence and dynamics of such offenses have not been well delineated, making it difficult to design prevention strategies.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the frequency and characteristics of online and technology-facilitated sexual abuse against children and youth.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

In this nationally representative online survey study performed from November 19 to December 29, 2021, young adults aged 18 to 28 years were asked retrospectively about their childhood (<18 years) experiences of online and technology-facilitated abuse. The 2639 participants were sampled from an online panel.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Participants were asked questions about 11 different kinds of online and technology-facilitated sexual abuse with follow-up questions about their dynamics and offenders. Prevalence rates were calculated for several cross-cutting concepts (online child sexual abuse, image-based sexual abuse, self-produced child sexual abuse images, nonconsensual sexting, online grooming by adults, revenge pornography, sextortion, and online commercial sexual exploitation). Survey weights were applied to obtain population prevalence estimates.

RESULTS

A total of 2639 individuals (48.5% male, 49.8% female, and 1.8% other gender; 23.7% Hispanic, 12.6% non-Hispanic Black, 53.9% non-Hispanic White, 4.8% other race, and 5.0% ≥2 races) were surveyed. Childhood (before 18 years of age) prevalence rates were as follows: online child sexual abuse, 15.6% (SE, 1.0%); image-based sexual abuse, 11.0% (SE, 0.9%); self-produced child sexual abuse images, 7.2% (SE, 0.7%); nonconsensual sexting, 7.2% (SE, 0.7%); online grooming by adults, 5.4% (SE, 0.5%); revenge pornography, 3.1% (SE, 0.5%); sextortion, 3.5% (SE, 0.6%); and online commercial sexual exploitation, 1.7% (SE, 0.3%). The prime age of vulnerability across all categories was 13 to 17 years. Perpetrators in most categories were predominantly dating partners, friends, and acquaintances, not online strangers.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

The results of this national survey study suggest that a considerable portion of youth have experienced online child sexual abuse. Professionals planning prevention and intervention strategies for online sexual abuse should understand that dynamics include diverse episodes that are often extensions of dating abuse, sexual bullying, and sexual harassment, not only events perpetrated by adult internet predators.

Online Sexual Solicitation of Children and Adolescents in a High-Risk Population

INTRODUCTION

The Internet provides a powerful potential tool for sexual predators. Experiencing trauma, including sexual abuse, can increase child and adolescent risk of experiencing online sexual solicitation.

METHOD

A retrospective chart review was conducted for the detailed information of all children and adolescents aged 8-18 years presenting to the Child Advocacy Center of large, tertiary care, Midwestern U.S. pediatric hospital with concerns of sexual abuse.

RESULTS

Three-hundred twenty-five children and adolescents were seen in the Child Advocacy Center during the 9 months; 139 (42.8%) denied talking to anyone online that they had not met offline (face to face in real life), 88 (27.1%) reported talking to individuals online that they had not met offline but never talking about sex; 65 (20%) reported online sexual solicitation with individuals they had not met offline; and 33 (10.2%) reported highest-risk behaviors online involving meeting someone offline or having sex with someone offline whom they had met online.

DISCUSSION

The number of youth involved in online sexual solicitation illustrates that children who have been sexually abused are at increased risk for sexual solicitation. This study also suggests that young children are vulnerable to online sexual solicitation. Youth engaged in these concerning online behaviors with individuals of all ages.

A scoping review of child grooming strategies: pre- and post-internet

BACKGROUND

Researchers have studied the online sexual grooming of minors extensively since the early 2000s. However, the grooming process is neither new nor restricted to digital media. While grooming and child sexual abuse existed long before the Internet, the advent of the Internet has resulted in more ways in which offenders can interact with candidate victims including offline-only, online-only, and a mix of offline and online.

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we conducted a scoping review of grooming strategies both pre- and post-Internet. Our goal was to enumerate strategies analyzed in both time periods, provide similarities and differences, and discuss how changing datasets and technology have impacted the grooming process in both online and offline environments.

METHODS

We performed a scoping review of peer-reviewed journal articles from 1970 to 2020 within PubMed, Medline, PsychInfo, and ERIC. This resulted in 19,679 unique articles. Titles and abstracts were screened resulting in 266 articles which were then read in full, resulting in 93 papers which qualified based on inclusion criteria.

RESULTS

Grooming strategies identified pre-Internet included: enticements, coercion, isolation, substance abuse, gradual sexualization, and secrecy. In comparison, the strategies identified post-Internet were: enticements, risk assessment, trust, sexualization, fantasy, secrecy, isolation, meeting, media progression, deception, coercion, substance use as a tool, authority, and repetition.

CONCLUSIONS

While grooming strategies overlapped pre and post-Internet, the timing and scope of concepts differed. Additionally, grooming offline began to incorporate technology post-Internet which functioned to increase accessibility and isolation of the victim in a similar manner to online grooming.

Offender strategies for engaging children in online sexual activity

BACKGROUND

Following technological developments, there has been increasing interest in online offenders' use of digital communication technology to sexually groom and abuse children. However, research has thus far primarily explored offenders' interactions with decoys instead of actual children, and initial evidence indicates that conversations with actual children may include more overt persuasion and extortion than conversations with decoys.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to describe online offenders' interactions with actual children when inciting them to engage in online sexual activity.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Swedish court judgements including 50 offenders (aged 16-69, median = 28.9) and 122 child victims (aged 7-17, median = 13.0) were analyzed.

METHODS

By using an explorative mixed-methods approach, we thematically analyzed what strategies the children were exposed to, and looked for patterns between the strategy used and the characteristics of the abuse, victim, or offender.

RESULTS

We identified two types of strategies that the children were exposed to: pressure (threats, bribes, or nagging, N = 56), and sweet-talk (flattery, acting as a friend, or expressing love, N = 25). Overall, the offenders who used pressure were younger and targeted older children than the offenders who used sweet-talk.

CONCLUSIONS

This study expands the existing knowledge about the variety of manipulative strategies used by online offenders and adds support to the initial literature showing substantially more pressure and coercion in online offenders' interactions with actual children. The study also identifies some patterns between the strategy used and the age of the offender and victim that warrant further investigation in future studies.

Unraveling cyber sexual abuse of minors: Psychometrics properties of the Multidimensional Online Grooming Questionnaire and prevalence by sex and age

BACKGROUND

Online child grooming includes the online behaviors of an adult aimed at achieving some type of sexual interaction with a minor. However, to date, quantitative research that has investigated the strategies online groomers employ to gain their victim's trust is scarce.

OBJECTIVE

To this end, the main aim of this study was to distinguish and measure different strategies of the online grooming process by developing and examining the psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Online Grooming Questionnaire (MOGQ). We also analyzed the prevalence of different strategies of online grooming among a sample of minors and their associations with grooming outcomes (i.e., online sexual solicitations and sexual interactions) and mental health (i.e., depression and anxiety).

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

The sample consisted of 1704 participants between 12 and 15 years of age (864 girls; M_age = 13.77, SD = 1.13).

METHODS

Examination of the structure of the MOGQ was accomplished using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). For this purpose, the sample was randomly divided into two subsamples.

RESULTS

EFA and CFA showed a structure composed of five factors, including Use of Deception, Gift giving, Study of victim's environment, Sexualization, and Aggression. Second, the analysis of the relationship of online grooming with grooming outcomes (online sexual solicitations and sexual interactions) and mental health (i.e., depression and anxiety) provided evidence for the concurrent validity of the instrument. Finally, the prevalence of grooming strategies within the sample ranged between 7% for aggression to 18% for interest in the victim's environment. Overall grooming strategies were more prevalent for girls than boys and increased with age.

CONCLUSION

Distinguishing between different strategies of online grooming is recommended in order to advance research and the prevention of this type of child abuse.

The Impact of Adolescent Internet Addiction on Sexual Online Victimization: The Mediating Effects of Sexting and Body Self-Esteem

Adolescents’ problematic use of the internet and the risk of sexual online victimization are an increasing concern among families, researchers, professionals and society. This study aimed to analyze the interplay between adolescents’ addiction to social networks and internet, body self-esteem and sexual–erotic risk behavior online: sexting, sextortion and grooming. While sexting refers to the voluntary engagement in texting sexual–erotic messages, sextortion and grooming are means of sexual–erotic victimization through the use of the internet. Participants were 1763 adolescents (51% girls), aged 12 to 16 years (M = 14.56; SD = 1.16), from public (n = 1068; 60.60%) and private (n = 695; 39.40%) high schools in the Basque Country (Spain). We carried out structural equation modeling (SEM) using Mplus to assess the mediating effects of body self-esteem in the relationship between addiction to social media and internet and sexual–erotic risk behavior. The results showed that internet addiction predicts online sexual victimization; specifically, the best predictors of sexting, sextortion and grooming victimization were symptoms of internet addiction and geek behavior. Body self-esteem and sexting mediated the relationship between internet addiction and sexual online victimization in adolescents. These results highlight the importance of attending to adolescents’ mental health regarding their online behavior, considering the risk and protective factors involved, due to its close association with online sexual victimization.

Online Sexual Solicitation of Children and Adolescents

Technological advances have exploded in the new millennium. The Internet provides many opportunities to enrich the lives of youth by providing greater access to learning opportunities, valuable resources, and positive social interactions with peers. However, the Internet is a relatively new and unregulated entity that can also place children and adolescents at risk for a variety of negative and potentially dangerous exposures. One such risk is online sexual solicitations and interactions with older adolescents, peers, and adults. This continuing education article will explore online sexual solicitation of child and adolescents in terms of definition, epidemiology, predictors, consequences, and implications for practice.

A psycho-linguistic profile of online grooming conversations: A comparative study of prison and police staff considerations

BACKGROUND

Internet-initiated sexual offences against minors (i.e., online grooming (OG)) is a communicative process of entrapment used by adults to entice minors into sexual activities. Yet, research exploring how the language used by such individuals might reflect their psychological world is scarce. Interestingly, researchers have largely assumed that adults who engage in OG behaviours create a deceptive relationship to reach sexual intent. However, no study to date has investigated the deceptive component of these interactions.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the psycholinguistic and deceptive properties of chats where OG is present, from the perspective of front-line specialists.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Prison staff (n = 7) and police officers (n = 9) and sixty-five chat logs from adults convicted of an online sexual offence against a minor.

METHODS

A mixed-method approach was employed, whereby qualitative (focus groups) data collection informed subsequent quantitative (the Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC)) data analyse of adult-child online sexual chats, using the model of OG discourse as the theoretical rationale.

RESULTS

Specialist considered that the online abuse/exploitation of minors can occur without deception. Adults who engage in OG behaviour use language that denotes affiliation with a positive emotional tone (p = .003, η_p² = .59). The communicative focus is the development of an interpersonal relationship, above engagement in sexual talk (p < .001, η_p² = .96).

CONCLUSIONS

Findings challenge the common perception that the relationship is centred on deception and identify the intention of some adults as the development of a perceived genuine interpersonal relationship.

The online sexual offender: what we know to date

INTRODUCTION

Online grooming is an active communicative entrapment network involving a wide range of techniques. The interactions that groomers have with minors online are complex. The purpose of the present literature review was to contribute to the existing knowledge base regarding online sex offender typologies, predatory tactics and techniques.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

We conducted a review of the current literature by an initial database research of papers published since 1990. Three independent reviewers selected relevant articles, initially based on title and abstract analysis, then by full text in order to make a final determination. After the final selection, a total of 21 articles were reviewed.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

Overall, abundant data describing both groomer characteristics and grooming strategies are available in the literature, with authors attempting to analyze and adapt these to ever-complex models. However, the various models often feel redundant, determining a certain difficulty in understanding which would be the most suitable model to apply, making comparing data from different studies oftentimes troublesome.

CONCLUSIONS

In our opinion, it would be desirable to reach a consensus on fewer univocally-interpretable models that would be easier to adopt as preventive tools against online grooming, in combination with other strategies. The present study may provide parents and guardians with information useful for keeping their youth safer while online, as well as data that may assist in the development of policy recommendations and prevention strategies, overall aiming to reduce the phenomenon of online grooming.