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December 2nd, 2025
Grooming is serious and often hard to read about, but communities can make a difference. While we've previously shared guides on grooming stages and red flags, this article focuses on fresh research insights and what parents, professionals, and community members can do to prevent exploitation.
Fourteen-year-old Maisie* was approached online by a convicted kidnapper pretending to be a peer. Over time, this person tried to manipulate her trust. But thanks to a vigilant community member who noticed warning signs and alerted her mother, Maisie was protected from potential harm.
“Collective vigilance and early intervention by community members can prevent grooming from escalating.” — Ringenberg et al., 2021
Communities are the first line of defense, and early, coordinated action can save lives.
*Name changed to protect survivor’s identity
Before the internet, grooming mostly happened in person at schools, neighborhoods, or community events. Perpetrators relied on building trust, creating private opportunities, and slowly desensitizing youth. Staying hidden took more effort, because adults and peers were physically present.
The internet has transformed grooming. Offenders can now hide their identity, contact multiple targets, and build trust through social media, gaming, and messaging apps. Grooming often includes gradual exposure to sexualized content and emotional manipulation.
“Online platforms have expanded the reach and subtlety of grooming, increasing the importance of early detection and community awareness.” — Ringenberg et al., 2021
Communities must respond with stronger digital literacy and online safety awareness.
Grooming doesn’t follow a neat sequence. Stages can overlap or repeat, and no two cases look the same.
What is consistent is the strategy: emotional and relational manipulation. Groomers build dependency by posing as mentors, friends or romantic interests. Teaching emotional awareness and critical thinking is one of the strongest tools communities have to counter this.
Groomers also look beyond the young person. They may try to influence parents, caregivers, and educators, slowly weakening supervision. Prevention has to include adults, not just youth.
Although grooming is often discussed in sexual terms, it’s primarily about control: over decisions, relationships, and access to support. Warning signs often appear long before sexual behaviour is involved. Secrecy, isolation, and power imbalances are early cues that something is wrong.
Many chances to intervene appear before exploitation escalates. The challenge is recognizing those moments and acting on them.
“Early engagement and coordinated programs can significantly reduce grooming incidents.” — Ringenberg et al., 2021
Grooming is a process designed to manipulate, control, and exploit. Understanding the specific tactics perpetrators use can help communities, parents, and youth intervene early. While we have shared previous grooming tactics before, here are some we haven’t yet discussed.
“Understanding the full range of grooming tactics—emotional, social, and digital—enables communities to intervene effectively at multiple points.” — Ringenberg et al., 2021
Groomers may create fantasy scenarios to create a sense of excitement or a “special relationship” that isolates the child from reality. They may pretend to share a secret mission or hidden world that is just between them.
Many grooming situations eventually shift offline, framed as casual meetups or shared activities. These conversations gradually escalate exposure to sexualized images, videos, or conversations.
Some use substances to lower inhibitions or create dependency, offering alcohol or drugs in exchange for compliance.
Throughout, coercion is used to maintain control: pressure, guilt, threats, or warnings about what might happen if the child speaks up. They begin to apply pressure, threats and manipulation such as: “If you tell anyone, I’ll be mad,” “You owe me for what I’ve done for you,” or threats against others like “I’ll hurt a sibling.”
These tactics are repeated regularly, continually reinforcing behaviors and testing boundaries in order to normalize manipulation.
Awareness is a powerful form of protection. When communities understand how grooming works, they can spot warning signs earlier and create
You can make a difference today by starting a conversation with a youth in your life, volunteering with a local youth organization, sharing this article and resources with your circle and on your socials, or advocating for workshops, mentorship programs, or safe reporting channels in local schools or clubs.
Educate and train.
Host workshops for parents, educators, and youth workers on healthy relationships, boundaries, and digital safety.
Provide peer mentorship.
Enable older youth to support younger peers, creating natural protection and trusted connections.
Create safe reporting spaces.
Establish confidential ways for youth to share concerns, both online and in person.
Collaborate across groups.
Have schools, nonprofits, and local authorities work together to share strategies and strengthen prevention efforts.
Hold regular conversations and check-ins.
Normalize discussions about healthy relationships, digital literacy, and peer influence.
Empower communities.
Take small, coordinated steps to prevent grooming and protect youth from exploitation.
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34801848/
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