9 out of 10: Gaming Companies Must Take Responsibility Against Grooming

A new survey from Verian (formerly Sifo), conducted on behalf of the children’s rights organization ChildX, shows very strong support for stricter requirements for gaming platforms and gaming-related environments to prevent and stop grooming. 92 percent agree to some extent that “gaming platforms and gaming-adjacent platforms should be forced to take greater responsibility for preventing and stopping grooming.” .

On September 10, the results were shared with Minister for Gender Equality Nina Larsson and Minister for Social Services Camilla Waltersson Grönvall during a meeting convened by the ministers following Kulturnytt’s investigation of grooming in games. The investigation revealed that of the 126 reported grooming offenses on the five largest gaming platforms between 2023 and May 2025, only three had resulted in convictions. At the meeting, both ministers emphasized the need to put clearer pressure on the gaming industry to take greater responsibility in preventing and stopping grooming.

The Minister for Gender Equality affirms the need for stricter measures:

“The current system is not working. We will turn over every stone to stop this.” – Nina Larsson, Minister for Gender Equality

For over ten years, ChildX has been working against the sexual exploitation and grooming of children, with a particular focus on the gaming world in the last two years. The foundation now demands that the industry takes responsibility and implements concrete protective measures:

• Every new game feature must be reviewed based on child safety
• Common guidelines and best practice systems must be established
• Tools to detect grooming in real-time must be used
• Support must be offered directly within games
• Anonymity must be reduced, which also strengthens the work of the police and the judiciary

“Now we have clear evidence that the public is united and demands that gaming companies take their responsibility. It is time to shift the responsibility from the children to the gaming companies.”

– Ida Östensson, Secretary-General of ChildX

ChildX’s own interviews with police officers in Sweden provide clear support for public opinion. Police from across the country describe how perpetrators exploit unverified accounts to act anonymously, how the disclosure of information is often delayed or withheld, and how evidence is lost when voice chats, text, or images are deleted.

They also confirm that the first contact between children and perpetrators often occurs in gaming environments, and that communication then moves to platforms such as Snapchat or Discord.

“An appeal to gaming companies is to understand that there are real children on their platforms who are subjected to crimes. It would be desirable if everyone could find the motivation to help each other and create conditions for a safe online environment.”

– Jonas Edin, investigator of internet-related child sexual abuse, Police Region North

This situation is also reflected in stories from survivors, i.e., individuals who survived child sexual exploitation, shared with ChildX through an anonymous survey.

“If you operate a gaming platform aimed at children, you have a responsibility to ensure that children’s safety outweighs the desire to make money. When 126 grooming offenses are linked to gaming platforms but only 3 lead to convictions, something is seriously wrong.”

– Survivor in ChildX’s survivor network for young people aged 18–25

Together, public opinion, police experiences, the ministers’ clarity, and survivors’ stories present a consistent picture: the current system leaves children unprotected, and gaming platforms must take greater responsibility.

About the survey: Verian (formerly Sifo) conducted the survey on behalf of ChildX in September 2025, and it was answered by 1051 individuals between 18 and 84 years old. The respondents represent a representative cross-section of the population in those age groups.