Online Sexual Grooming Research Articles

“Cutie, click on the link”: A forensic analysis of URLs

This article presents an examination of the technological components of the online sexual grooming abuse process. While much of the existing literature on online grooming and child exploitation focuses on the broader behavioral patterns of offenders, our study examines the specific affordances of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) that enable and exacerbate these behaviors. Through a multidisciplinary lens, we conducted a digital forensic analysis of 371 URL links obtained from two studies with active online groomers. The analysis reveals that online groomers use URLs to engage in social engineering, distribute malware, solicit Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), and share images. These findings suggests that previous models and stage descriptions of the online grooming process overlook how different ICT tools can be adopted and adapted to facilitate the online grooming and abuse process. We draw on the technology acceptance model to explain that the perceived affordances of a platform, particularly those that facilitate covert or malicious activities, are likely to influence offenders' choices in using these ICTs. The implications of these findings extend to theoretical, methodological, and policy considerations.

Parental Responses to Online Sexual Grooming Events Experienced by Their Teenage Children.

Online sexual grooming (a manipulative process in which the perpetrator locates a young person and creates an abusive relationship with the child that involves sexual exploitation) poses significant challenges to parents. This study examined how parents of adolescent victims of online sexual grooming experienced guiding their children through the event. This qualitative study, conducted in Israel, was based on semi-structured in-depth interviews with 15 parents who guided their adolescents who had been subjected to online sexual grooming. Results indicate that the parents reported a spectrum of emotions, from insecurity and guilt to a sense of control and satisfaction in managing the situation. Also, the reluctance of some parents to engage with the education system indicates potential trust issues. The study demonstrates the urgent need for targeted interventions to equip parents and educational professionals with the necessary knowledge for prevention and effective response to online sexual grooming. Implications for future research, policy, and practice are discussed.

Analyzing Online Sexual Grooming of Minors and the Case of the Albanian Criminal Framework

Out of all of the digital sex crimes that have emerged during the revolution that is happening to technology, sexual grooming of minors, is one of the most problematic and unaddressed criminal phenomena. Sexual grooming of minors has moved from the offline realm to the online realm, becoming a tangible concern to all of the children who surf the Internet daily. Today, pervasive internet connectivity has propelled cybercrime to the forefront of law enforcement concerns globally. Particularly, social media platforms have become the favored and easily accessible tools for perpetrators, amplifying the incidence of digital sex crimes. This situation is exacerbated by the inherent dangers of online sexual grooming, which serves as a precursor to child sexual abuse. While not always an obligatory step preceding such abuse, the distinct characteristics of online sexual grooming underscore its heightened concern and complexity. This article delves into the dynamics of the sexual grooming of children, exploring its patterns, offenders’ and victims’ typology, and relevant legal framework in juxtaposition with the analysis of the Albanian criminal framework regarding this issue. For writing this article, we have used the Desk Review approach method as well as analyzing relevant legal frameworks where necessary, among other aspects. 
 
 Received: 7 September 2023 / Accepted: 7 December 2023 / Published: 5 January 2024

The Relevance of Targets’ Sexual Knowledge in the Progression of Online Sexual Grooming Events: Findings from an Online Field Experiment

The Relevance of Targets’ Sexual Knowledge in the Progression of Online Sexual Grooming Events: Findings from an Online Field Experiment

Стратегии психологического воздействия онлайн грумера на несовершеннолетнюю жертву в ситуации сексуальных домогательств

Introduction. The article is devoted to the socio-psychological phenomenon of psychological influence of online groomer on the victim in the situation of online sexual harassment. Theoretical analysis. In general, online sexual harassment refers to unwanted messages that include verbal and photo-visual information of sexual nature. It is noted that the concept of online sexual grooming is identified with this phenomenon. Empirical analysis. In the study, respondents (N=170) answered an anonymous questionnaire about online sexual grooming they had experienced when they were underage. In most cases, online groomers are adults, aware of the victim’s age, focusing mostly on the girls aged 10–12 (35.9% of cases) and 13–15 years old (44.1% of cases). Conclusion. The most significant strategies of psychological influence on the victim of online grooming include the use of flattery and compliments, as well as manipulation of such psychological features of the target of harassment as curiosity and lack of understanding of correct behavior patterns. Sexual online groomers predominantly target minors between the ages of 10 and 15. It is typical for these victims to conceal from their parents the facts of their abuse by groomers.

The Relevance of Targets’ Sexual Knowledge in the Progression of Online Sexual Grooming Events: Findings from an Online Field Experiment

The Relevance of Targets’ Sexual Knowledge in the Progression of Online Sexual Grooming Events: Findings from an Online Field Experiment

The Relevance of Targets’ Sexual Knowledge in the Progression of Online Sexual Grooming Events: Findings from an Online Field Experiment

Although the typical end goal of an online grooming event is to lure a minor into performing sexual activity (either online or offline), no previous study has examined the relevance of targets’ sexual knowledge on the progression of these events. To address this gap, we deployed two honeypot chatbots which simulated young female users in a sample of twenty-three online chatrooms, over a period of three months. The first chatbot simulated a sexually knowledgeable target while the second chatbot simulated a sexually naïve target. Findings from 319 online grooming events indicate that an online grooming event is more likely to progress in the presence of a sexually knowledgeable target. Moreover, we find that online grooming events with sexually knowledgeable targets lasted longer than online grooming events with sexually naïve targets. Finally, we found that sexually knowledgeable targets were more likely to be solicited for offline encounters than sexually naïve targets.

The Knowledge, Perceptions and Training Needs About Online Sexual Grooming of Children and Adolescents in a Sample of Professionals Who Work in Portugal

ABSTRACT Online sexual grooming occurs when adults or adolescents contact children and adolescents using online media intending to establish sexual contact with the victims. Professionals who work with children and adolescents can be crucial in the prevention and intervention in this phenomenon. The main goal of this research was to evaluate the knowledge, the perceptions, and the training needs regarding online sexual grooming perpetrated by adults in a sample of professionals who work with children and adolescents in Portugal. A total of 161 professionals participated in the study, of which 72 (45%) were teachers, 52 (32%) were child protection professionals and 37 (23%) were psychologists. A new questionnaire was developed for this study, which was distributed online. All the participants reported having heard the term “online sexual grooming” before. The data show that most participants have some training regarding violence against children and adolescents but that only a minority of participants have training regarding online sexual grooming. Participants reported confidence in their ability to support victims of grooming and considered training regarding this phenomenon as a beneficial tool for professionals. The main conclusion from this research is that professionals are motivated to prevent online sexual grooming, and that, if they receive adequate evidence-based training, they may be essential first responders in sexual abuse cases.

Parental guardianship and online sexual grooming of teenagers: A honeypot experiment

Although previous research has examined the association between the absence of guardianship and online sexual grooming victimization, no previous study has examined the impact of parental supervision on the progression of an online grooming event. To address this empirical gap, we designed three honeypot chat bots that simulated young female users on online chatrooms and deployed them on a list of 21 popular chatrooms commonly accessed by youth and online groomers from all around the world. The first chat bot was designed to convey an active guardianship style to a grooming suspect (treatment 1), the second chat bot was designed to convey a passive style of parental guardianship, and the third chat bot was designed to convey no guardianship (control group). The chat bots were deployed over a period of 2.5 months. Findings indicate that online unstructured socializing with peers in the absence of parental supervision increased online groomers’ likelihood to persist in an online sexual grooming event. In contrast, online groomers were less likely to continue their online grooming once believing their targets were communicating online in the presence of parental guardianship (both passive and active).

An analysis of child sexual grooming legislation in the United States

ABSTRACT Both in-person and online sexual grooming of children is a common process used by those who sexually abuse children. Sexual grooming refers to the method by which an adult manipulates a potential minor victim into situations where sexual abuse can more readily take place while at the same time preventing the minor from disclosing the abuse or others recognizing the inappropriate behaviors. Child sexual grooming is considered a precursor to the criminal act of child sexual abuse; however, in some jurisdictions child sexual grooming in and of itself is considered a standalone criminal offense. Both federal and state governments in the United States have created anti-grooming laws to criminalize these preparatory acts to protect children before the sexual abuse can occur. This paper will explore the current research on sexual grooming to provide a framework for understanding sexual grooming behaviors, critically examine federal and state sexual grooming legislation, and provide recommendations on how to evaluate and integrate sexual grooming research into criminal prosecution and policy.

A scoping review of child grooming strategies: pre- and post-internet

BackgroundResearchers have studied the online sexual grooming of minors extensively since the early 2000s. However, the grooming process is neither new nor restricted to digital media. While grooming and child sexual abuse existed long before the Internet, the advent of the Internet has resulted in more ways in which offenders can interact with candidate victims including offline-only, online-only, and a mix of offline and online. ObjectiveIn this study, we conducted a scoping review of grooming strategies both pre- and post-Internet. Our goal was to enumerate strategies analyzed in both time periods, provide similarities and differences, and discuss how changing datasets and technology have impacted the grooming process in both online and offline environments. MethodsWe performed a scoping review of peer-reviewed journal articles from 1970 to 2020 within PubMed, Medline, PsychInfo, and ERIC. This resulted in 19,679 unique articles. Titles and abstracts were screened resulting in 266 articles which were then read in full, resulting in 93 papers which qualified based on inclusion criteria. ResultsGrooming strategies identified pre-Internet included: enticements, coercion, isolation, substance abuse, gradual sexualization, and secrecy. In comparison, the strategies identified post-Internet were: enticements, risk assessment, trust, sexualization, fantasy, secrecy, isolation, meeting, media progression, deception, coercion, substance use as a tool, authority, and repetition. ConclusionsWhile grooming strategies overlapped pre and post-Internet, the timing and scope of concepts differed. Additionally, grooming offline began to incorporate technology post-Internet which functioned to increase accessibility and isolation of the victim in a similar manner to online grooming.

A discursive analysis of compliance, resistance and escalation to threats in sexually exploitative interactions between offenders and male children.

There is a notable scarcity of empirical studies focusing on online sexual grooming using real world, naturally occurring data. Limited research with real victims (as opposed to decoys) has indicated that more overt forceful threats are employed by offenders in such interaction; however, they tell us little about how these threats are built up and managed by both parties. Furthermore, the majority of research focuses on female victims, with limited attention paid to male victims. The current study presents a discursive psychology analysis of chat logs between one offender (posing as a teenage girl) and five male victims under the age of 16years, in order to explore how victims attempt to resist such manoeuvres in situ, and how offenders manage such resistance. The sexualized nature evidenced in our data contrasts with other findings which suggest that boys are not sexually solicited and that interactions with boys are less aggressive and forceful. Our findings demonstrate for the first time how an offender escalated his issuing of threats following victims' resistance and non-compliance to requests. Turning points that appeared odd in the online interactions suggest that they may be used to encourage children to be more reflective about any further engagement.

Experiences and Perceptions of Online Sexual Solicitation and Grooming of Minors: A Retrospective Report

ABSTRACT Internet predation of minors has become a focus of child sexual abuse research and legislation. Studies reveal that many American youth report experiencing sexual solicitation and sexual grooming online, but the youth perspective of these experiences has not been examined. This study examined retrospective perspectives of online sexual solicitation and grooming experienced as a minor. Participants were 1,133 undergraduate college students at two public institutions in the United States who completed an online survey retrospectively exploring Internet behaviors, experiences of online sexual solicitation or online grooming, and perceptions of the experience. Results showed that one-quarter of total participants conversed with adult strangers online as minors. Importantly, 65% of participants who chatted with adult strangers as minors experienced sexual solicitation from an adult stranger. Twenty-three percent of 1,133 total participants recalled having a long, intimate conversation as a minor with an adult stranger from an online chatroom that followed a pattern of online sexual grooming. While less than half (38%) of the youth who engaged in an intimate online relationship with an adult stranger met the adult in-person, a large majority of those who did meet in-person (68%) reported physical sexual intercourse. Implications for Internet safety and guidelines are discussed.

‘So is your mom as cute as you?’: Examining patterns of language use in online sexual grooming of children

Linguistic research into online grooming is scarce despite both the communicative essence of this form of online child sexual abuse and a substantial body of literature into it across other Social Sciences. Most of this literature has examined small data sets via qualitative methods, primarily thematic analysis; the exception being a couple of studies that have used automated software (Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count - LIWC) that operates at a single-word level. This study evaluates the contribution that a Corpus Assisted Discourse Studies (CADS) approach can make to this body of literature, with a focus on online groomers’ language. The corpus consists of >600 grooming chat logs taken from the Perverted Justice Foundation archive, from which the groomers’ language was extracted (c. 3.3 million words). Lexical dispersion (DPNorm), collocation and concordance analyses were conducted. The corpus was also run through LIWC. Our analysis shows that LIWC may not be the most efficient software to analyse online grooming language due to a lack of general language comparison scores, the non-transparency of some of its analytic variables and a focus on de-contextualised words. Comparatively, CADS methods can shed light upon online groomers’ strategic use of language. They can also reveal the complex and nuanced ways in which discourse features such as (im)explicitness and interpersonal (in)directness operate alongside these strategies.

Case Studies of Men's Perceptions of Their Online Sexual Interactions With Young People: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.

The aim of the present study was to gain an understanding of the perspectives of men who were convicted of committing a sexual offense that included online sexual grooming. It explores their experiences of illegal interactions with young people via Internet communication platforms, which progressed to physical meetings. Semistructured interviews were conducted with two men and analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), providing in-depth accounts of their personal experiences. These are presented in a case study format. Three dominant themes emerged from the analysis: (a) fulfilling an unmet need, (b) spiraling cycle of use, and (c) confrontation with reality. Narrative tones employed by the two men were "being trapped in a lie," analogous to a problem narrative through which their Internet use was presented as a poor and/or failed coping strategy to deal with life stress. Through a process of habituation, their Internet use spiraled out of control. A progression was described in terms of time spent on the computer, frequency and intensity of online interactions, and the impact this had on the men's personal lives, highlighting the "compulsive" nature of such interactions for them. A consideration of individual and situational vulnerability factors provides new insight into the progression of online sexual behavior and contributes to our understanding thereof.

Do mothers talk to their daughters about sexuality?

Background: Online sexual grooming is now widespread, and parents have to monitor and talk to their children about these issues and warn them against it. Aims and Objectives: This study was to know whether mothers talk to their young daughters about sex and sexuality to looks at how mothers perceive giving sexual education to children of a younger age. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, self-administered questionnaires were distributed to 76 participants who have daughters from 7 to 12 years old. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences V.19. Median score for knowledge, attitude, and practice was compared and correlated with each other. Results: More than one-third of mothers had poor knowledge on sexuality and sexual abuse. More than one-third also showed poor practice in giving out sexual education. However, more than 80% showed a good attitude. There was a significant association between knowledge and practice as well as education level and knowledge. Age and knowledge had significant association too. There was no significant association between age, employment status, education level, and financial status with attitude. Conclusion: We believe that by increasing mothers’ knowledge on sexuality education, more girls in early adolescence will have first-hand exposure to sexual education from their own mothers in a private and more personalized atmosphere rather than in a classroom setting.

Persuasion strategies and sexual solicitations and interactions in online sexual grooming of adolescents: Modeling direct and indirect pathways

Online sexual grooming and exploitation of adolescents is receiving increasing social attention. Drawing on a social influence framework, the aim of this study was to test a model of the direct and mediated relationships between an adult's use of persuasion strategies and online sexual grooming of early adolescents. The initial sample of the study consisted of 2731 early Spanish adolescents between 12 and 15 years old (50.6% female). Of these, 196 adolescents (7.17% of the total; 53% girls) were involved in online grooming (mean age = 14.93, SD = 0.90). Persuasion strategies by the adult through internet increased the probability of using deceit, bribery, and the minor's nonsexual involvement. In addition, deceit and bribery were associated with higher rates of sexual solicitation, which in turn increased abusive sexual interactions. Understanding strategies used by adults to groom minors contributes to the prevention of and intervention in this crucial societal problem.

Offense Processes of Online Sexual Grooming and Abuse of Children Via Internet Communication Platforms.

The aim of the present study was to provide an inclusive and realistic account of the offense processes of naturally occurring, sexually exploitative interactions between offenders and victims that took place via Internet communication platforms, and develop an offense process diagram of online sexual grooming and abuse. Five case series, comprising 29 transcripts of 22 interactions, were analyzed using the qualitative approach of thematic analysis. Police reports were reviewed for descriptive and case-specific information. The five offenders were men aged between 27 and 52 years ( M = 33.6, SD = 5.6), and the number of children they communicated with ranged from one to 12 ( M = 4.6, SD = 4.5). Victims were aged between 11 and 15 ( M = 13.0, SD = 1.2), and were both female ( n = 17) and male ( n = 6). Findings revealed that offenders employed either an indirect or a direct approach to conversations with victims and initiating contact with them. The approach offenders employed was also reflected in the types of strategies they used. Only two offenders were found to engage in aspects of sexual grooming as part of an indirect approach; the majority of the interactions by the other three offenders, that lacked features of sexual grooming altogether, were found to be of a direct approach. These findings are discussed in relation to current issues surrounding terminology and definition of sexual grooming, as well as theoretical and practical implications, concluding with suggestions for future research.

Rapid skill acquisition and online sexual grooming of children

The limited research on online sexual grooming has largely focused on the stages of grooming, typologies of offenders, or comparisons with people who download abusive sexual images of children. Little attention has been paid to Internet affordances and the role these might play in the offending behavior, the development of expertise and the avoidance of detection. This exploratory, qualitative grounded theory study involved interviews with 14 men convicted of online grooming. The analysis indicated that the Internet was used to create a private space within which to engage in purposive, sexual behavior with young people. This engagement was for all an aid to fantasy, and for some was a precursor to an offline sexual assault. The opportunities afforded by Internet platforms not only allowed access to young people but facilitated the rapid acquisition of expertise.

Online Child Sexual Exploitation

This review provides an overview of current knowledge and understanding of the process of sexual grooming and exploitation of children via the Internet. Specifically, the prevalence of online sexual grooming and exploitation is explored as well as associated challenges relating to the identification of its occurrence. This is complemented by a detailed outline and discussion of the process, both online and in the physical world, and legal responses to this phenomenon. A number of factors are examined to provide an explanation of the facilitating and contributing role they may play in offense processes online. Finally, current typologies are discussed in relation to characteristics of Internet offenders in general and “groomers”/chat room offenders specifically. This review concludes by offering suggestions for future research.