What grooming online can look like in general terms
Launch library · evergreen read
Grooming, in an online context, generally refers to a gradual process where an individual builds trust with someone, often a young person, with the eventual aim of exploiting that trust for harmful purposes. Recognising the overall pattern matters more than focusing on any single isolated interaction in the moment.
This process often involves excessive attention, gift giving, attempts to isolate the target from other relationships, and gradually normalising increasingly inappropriate contact or requests over time. It typically unfolds slowly enough that it can be genuinely hard to notice clearly from the outside looking in, even for a genuinely attentive parent or carer.
Open, ongoing conversation between young people and trusted adults about online relationships, without judgement or assumption, remains one of the most effective protective measures available to any family. It makes a young person considerably more likely to mention an interaction that feels uncomfortable to them early on, before it escalates further.