Protecting Children from Online Grooming: Cross-cultural, qualitative and child-centred data to guide grooming prevention and response

This report presents findings from qualitative research with 604 children aged 8-18 years across seven countries (Australia, Cambodia, Colombia, Finland, Kenya, Philippines, and South Africa) to understand how they experience and respond to interactions with unknown people online. Using creative and participatory methods, the study found that children routinely encounter unknown others online and employ sophisticated decision-making processes to assess potential risks and benefits. While aware of dangers like online grooming, children value connecting with new people online and use various strategies to protect themselves, such as relational verification, targeted investigation, and observing behavior over time. However, they face barriers to formal reporting and often rely on peers or family for support.

The report highlights children’s calls for better education, technical innovations, and support from adults to navigate online interactions safely. Key recommendations include: updating online safety advice to reflect the reality of children’s online experiences; leveraging technology to provide age-appropriate protections; strengthening education for children and trusted adults; improving reporting mechanisms; and enhancing collaboration between governments, NGOs, and technology companies. The study emphasizes the need to balance protecting children from online harms with preserving opportunities for beneficial online engagement. It concludes that achieving this balance requires listening to children’s experiences and ideas to develop effective, context-appropriate interventions.

This piece was made possible by funding from The Tech Coalition Safe Online Research Fund.