Safety net – More info

Today’s perpetrators have a new face. 41% of offenders who contact children to commit sexual crimes do so via online gaming. A hello can end in a threat.

Here we have gathered information on grooming online and in gambling environments.

What is grooming?

Grooming is when a person makes contact with a child with the intention of committing some form of sexual offense against the child. It can be, for example:

Unwanted requests for sexual services or images
Requests for sexual calls
Manipulating children into sexual relationships

How common is grooming?

Between 2021 and 2022, the number of detected grooming cases increased by 82%.

How can children be exposed to online gaming platforms?

9 out of 10 children aged 8-19 play different types of computer games on connected devices and children aged 7-10 say they feel safest on gaming platforms and private messaging apps. In games, communication between strangers is often normalized, making children less vigilant.

Is it difficult for perpetrators to reach children through online gaming platforms?

It takes an average of 45 minutes for perpetrators to groom children in gaming environments, but can also be as short as 19 seconds, and among child sex offenders, 41% report having tried to contact children via gaming platforms.

Is this a growing problem?

The risk of grooming on gaming platforms will continue to grow as the industry grows – for example, according to one estimate , the VR gaming market is expected to reach $279.4 billion by 2025, almost 6 times the market for streaming services.

Here, our expert Gabriella Kärnekull Wolfe talks about paid online abuse.