Grooming
This category highlights if your child might be being groomed.
Grooming leads to dangers that are in the other categories. However, interacting with coercive messages and in manipulative environments a child will experience dangers that normalise unhealthy relationships.
Also includes:
Typical pattern of grooming
Message chains across platforms and apps
Coercive and manipulative language
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More than 7,000 Sexual Communication with a Child offences were recorded by police last year (2023/24) – up 89% since 2017/18 when the offence first came into force.
Almost half of offences were on Snapchat (48%), where a means of communication was known.
Most grooming cases (81%) take place against girls while primary school children are also being targeted by offenders.
Source: NSPCC
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The pattern of grooming is programmed into the app.
At each stage the app will flag to the users but it also builds the escalating patterns into a chain of events which is detected. This means the cumulative effect of grooming and the cross platform nature can be detected.
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If you are affected by grooming or suspect you might be contact childline or your trusted adult.
Relevent Blogs
How to Keep my Child Safe Online
Discover essential strategies for keeping your child safe online in our comprehensive blog, "How to Keep My Child Safe Online." Learn about fostering open communication, setting device limits, and utilizing tools like Big Sister for effective monitoring.
Everything you Need: Online Safety
Online safety is evolving and it’s important to be aware of the tools and support systems out there available to both parents and children. Here’s everything you need to know about online safety.
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