Press Svenska

Facts about grooming

What is grooming?

Grooming is a serious crime where an adult seeks contact with a child with the aim of exploiting them. It often takes place online – through games, social media or chat apps – and is based on manipulation. The perpetrator may pretend to be the same age as the child or use multiple false identities to build trust and influence the child. Grooming can be done slowly by building rapport and trust, or quickly through flattery, pressure and threats – sometimes in the first contact.
Protecting children requires adults to understand how grooming works, and how quickly it can happen.

From grooming to intimidation

Contact often starts innocently, with flattery or curiosity, and gradually escalates. Sometimes the transition is rapid: the child is pressured to send naked pictures or appear on camera.
Perpetrators often use threats to control the child. This can include harming the child’s siblings, pets, parents – or the child themselves. A common threat is that the perpetrator claims to be able to spread sexual images or rumors, which creates strong fear and silence in the child. The perpetrator often puts the child under time pressure to increase stress and reduce resistance.

Why children do not tell

The perpetrator may make the child feel co-responsible or guilty – “it was you who agreed to this”. The child may feel shame and fear – both of the threat and of not being believed. As a result, many children do not tell, or tell late.
If a child has been threatened, pressured or manipulated into sending a picture – or received an unwanted nude picture – it is crucial that you, as an adult, meet the child with calmness and security. Judgmental reactions make the shame worse. Show that the blame never lies with the child. Responsibility and guilt always lie with the perpetrator.
For more tips on how you as a parent can support your child – read here .

 

Facts and statistics – globally and in Sweden