What is online grooming and how can you spot it?
Online grooming is when someone builds trust and an emotional connection with a child through the internet so they can manipulate, exploit and abuse them. It can happen on social media, in games and on messaging apps, and the person is often not a stranger. Warning signs include secrecy about online activity, unexplained gifts or money, an older “boyfriend” or “girlfriend” and sudden changes in mood or screen time. If you suspect it, stay calm, do not confront the child or the adult, keep any evidence and tell your safeguarding lead the same day. Call 999 if a child is in immediate danger.
On this page
- 1What is online grooming?
- 2How does online grooming typically work?
- 3What are the warning signs that a child is being groomed online?
- 4Is online grooming a crime in England and Wales?
- 5What does the Online Safety Act 2023 do, and what is in force on 3 November 2026?
- 6What does KCSIE 2026 say about online safety and grooming?
- 7What is sextortion and what should you do if a child is targeted?
- 8What should you do if you suspect a child is being groomed online?
- 9What should you not do, and why is blaming the child wrong?
- 10How can parents and carers talk to children about online grooming?
- 11What training helps adults recognise and report grooming?
- 12Frequently asked questions
- What it is. Grooming is building trust with a child to manipulate and abuse them, online or in person, and the person is often someone the child knows.
- The law. In England and Wales it is an offence for an adult to meet a child after grooming them, or to send sexual messages to a child under 16.
- What to do. Do not confront anyone or delete evidence. Tell your safeguarding lead the same day, and call 999 if a child is in immediate danger.
- Sextortion. Do not pay, stop contact and keep evidence. Under-18s can use Report Remove from Childline and the IWF to try to get images removed.
This guide is for parents and carers, school and club staff, and anyone who works with children in England. It reflects the law and guidance in force on 3 November 2026, checked against the primary sources linked throughout. It describes recognised patterns only so that adults can spot and report them. For the wider framework, see our guides to safeguarding children and the types of child abuse. General information, not legal advice.
What is online grooming?
The NSPCC defines grooming as someone building a relationship, trust and emotional connection with a child so they can manipulate, exploit and abuse them. Online, that contact can run through social media, messaging apps, email, and text, voice or video chat in forums, games and apps. It can last weeks or years.
The NSPCC says anyone can be a groomer, whatever their age, gender or race, and that it may be a stranger or someone the child knows, such as a family member, a friend, a teacher, a faith group leader or a sports coach. A child may be groomed online, in person or both.
The Department for Education’s statutory guidance, Keeping children safe in education 2026 (KCSIE, in force 1 September 2026), treats grooming as part of sexual abuse. Paragraph 28 lists “grooming a child in preparation for abuse” among non-contact sexual abuse, paragraph 42 says child sexual exploitation can involve grooming “including via the internet”, and paragraph 22 says children face risks online and face to face, often at the same time.
How common is it? In a release dated 13 November 2025, the NSPCC reported that 44 UK police forces had recorded 7,263 “sexual communication with a child” offences in the latest year, almost double the number when the offence came into force in 2017/18 (where forces could be compared). Where police could identify the platform (2,111 offences), 40% involved Snapchat, 9% WhatsApp and 9% Facebook and Instagram. The NSPCC says the true number is likely much higher, because abuse in private spaces is harder to detect.
How does online grooming typically work?
Grooming is not a fixed script, and the stages overlap. The table lists patterns that the NSPCC and the National Crime Agency (NCA) describe, so that adults know what to look for.
| Recognised pattern | What an adult might notice (illustrative) |
|---|---|
| A false or flattering identity | The NSPCC says people may hide who they are by sending photos or videos of others, sometimes of someone younger to gain the trust of a “peer”. They may target one child, or contact many children quickly and wait to see who replies. |
| Building trust and dependence | Advice, understanding, attention and gifts, and time spent learning the child’s interests on the same games and apps. A child talks about a new “friend” who “gets” them. |
| Isolation and secrecy | The NSPCC says groomers may try to cut a child off from friends and family, and introduce “secrets” to control them. The child becomes guarded about devices and who they are talking to. |
| Moving to a private space | The NCA describes a move from a chat on social media, a platform or a game to a private platform, such as an end-to-end encrypted messaging app. |
| Sexualised talk and pressure for images | The NCA describes conversations that quickly become sexually explicit, sometimes with the other person sharing an image first, followed by pressure to send nude or semi-nude photos or videos. |
| Threats and control | The NSPCC says blackmail can be used to create guilt and shame. The NCA describes threats to share images, including hacked or AI-generated ones, unless the child pays or complies. |
| Winning over the family | The NSPCC says groomers may build a relationship with the child’s family or friends to seem trustworthy or authoritative. |
Not all grooming is sexual in aim. KCSIE paragraph 165 describes “contact” risk as including adults posing as children or young adults to groom or exploit them “for sexual, criminal, financial or other purposes”. Online exploitation can also lead to harm offline; see our guides to contextual safeguarding and, for the “content” risks that include radicalisation, Prevent training.
What are the warning signs that a child is being groomed online?
The NSPCC warns that the signs may be hidden and that older children can seem to be showing “normal” teenage behaviour that masks a problem. Its possible signs are:
- being very secretive about how they spend their time, including online
- an older boyfriend or girlfriend
- money or new things they cannot or will not explain
- underage drinking or drug taking
- spending more or less time online
- being upset, withdrawn or distressed
- sexualised behaviour or language that does not fit their age
- more time away from home, or going missing
No single sign proves grooming, so record what you notice rather than jump to a conclusion. The middle column below is our illustration, not NSPCC wording.
| What you notice | An ordinary explanation | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Hides the screen or takes calls in private | Teenagers want privacy | Note it, especially if it is new and paired with other changes |
| New phone, clothes or money | A gift from a relative, or a part-time job | Ask casually where it came from; report if the answer is evasive or changes |
| Withdrawn or tearful after being online | An argument with friends, or exam stress | Check in kindly and keep watching |
| An older “boyfriend” or “girlfriend” | A crush the child is embarrassed about | Tell the safeguarding lead; an age gap is a recognised warning sign |
| Language or knowledge beyond their age | Something overheard at school | Note exactly what was said and when, and pass it on |
Children often do not tell. The NSPCC says a child is unlikely to know they have been groomed and may feel loyalty or love as well as fear and confusion, and KCSIE paragraph 16 says children may not recognise their experiences as harmful. Neither should stop you speaking to the safeguarding lead.
Anyone can be targeted. The NSPCC says boys and girls can both be groomed, and that children in care, with disabilities or who are neglected can be more at risk. Where gender was known, the NSPCC’s police data shows 80% of children targeted were girls, while sextortion (below) mostly affects teenage boys, so do not assume a profile. See also our guide to adverse childhood experiences.
Is online grooming a crime in England and Wales?
Yes. The main offences are in the Sexual Offences Act 2003, which applies in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own laws, which this guide does not cover.
| Provision | What it covers (summary) |
|---|---|
| Sexual Offences Act 2003, section 15: meeting a child following sexual grooming | An adult aged 18 or over who has met or communicated with a child under 16 on one or more occasions, and then meets them, travels to meet them or arranges to meet them, intending to commit a relevant sexual offence. The offence does not apply if the adult reasonably believed the child was 16 or over. Up to 10 years’ imprisonment on conviction on indictment. |
| Section 15A: sexual communication with a child | An adult aged 18 or over who intentionally communicates with a child under 16 for sexual gratification, where the communication is sexual or intended to encourage the child to make a sexual communication. No meeting is needed, so the offence can be complete online. Up to 2 years’ imprisonment on conviction on indictment. |
| Protection of Children Act 1978, section 1 | Taking, permitting to be taken, or making an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of a child, and distributing or showing one, or possessing one with a view to distributing or showing it. “Child” means a person under 18 (section 7). |
| Criminal Justice Act 1988, section 160 | Possession of an indecent photograph of a child. |
| Sexual Offences Act 2003, sections 16 to 19 (positions of trust, section 21) | Sexual offences by an adult in a position of trust against a child under 18. Section 21 lists the settings, including looking after under-18s receiving education at an educational institution. |
Section 15A was inserted by section 67 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 and came into force in England and Wales on 3 April 2017, according to legislation.gov.uk. The site showed these provisions as up to date to 2 or 3 November 2026, but lists some pending changes from a 2026 Act, so check the current text before relying on a detail.
Three points matter in practice. First, sections 15 and 15A protect children under 16, but a 16- or 17-year-old can still be groomed and exploited: KCSIE paragraph 44 says child sexual exploitation can affect 16- and 17-year-olds who can legally consent to sex. Second, the child is not the offender. KCSIE paragraph 44 warns that victims can be criminalised for what they do while under coercion, and DfE and UK Council for Internet Safety advice on sharing nudes and semi-nudes (updated 11 March 2024) says to refer straight away to police or children’s social care where an adult is involved, including someone posing as a child, or a child may have been coerced, blackmailed or groomed. Third, they are listed as priority child sexual exploitation and abuse offences for online platforms in Schedule 6 to the Online Safety Act 2023.
What does the Online Safety Act 2023 do, and what is in force on 3 November 2026?
The Online Safety Act 2023 puts duties on regulated user-to-user and search services, and Ofcom enforces them. It governs what platforms must do, not what an adult should do on suspecting abuse. The dates come from Ofcom’s important dates page and the documents linked in each row.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 17 March 2025 | Ofcom’s illegal content codes in force. Providers had to complete illegal harms risk assessments by 16 March 2025 and then take the codes’ safety measures or other effective measures. |
| 24 July 2025 | Deadline for children’s risk assessments by services likely to be accessed by children. |
| 25 July 2025 | Protection of Children Codes in force. In its statement of 24 July 2025 Ofcom said highly effective age checks must be in place to keep children off pornography and off self-harm, suicide and eating disorder content. |
| 7 April 2026 | Regulated user-to-user services must report detected, unreported child sexual exploitation and abuse content to the NCA (for services outside the UK, UK-linked content). Ofcom’s guidance (updated 23 July 2026) says search services will follow later. |
| 12 October and 2 November 2026 | Amendments to Ofcom’s illegal content and Protection of Children codes for user-to-user services were issued on 12 October 2026 and are in force from 2 November 2026, according to the front page of each code on Ofcom’s regulatory documents page. |
What do the codes say about grooming? The illegal content code for user-to-user services recommends “safety defaults for child users” (measure ICU F1) for services at high risk of grooming, and for large services at medium risk, to the extent that they can already work out a user’s age. The recommended defaults are that:
- prompts that suggest new connections do not recommend child accounts, and are not shown to child users
- connection lists do not include child accounts, and a child’s own list is not displayed to other users
- child accounts receive direct messages only from accounts they are connected with, or must actively confirm before a message is visible
- where a service shows location automatically, a child account’s location is not visible to other users
Two cautions. These are recommended measures, not a rule every platform must copy: a provider that implements them is treated as complying with the relevant duty, but other routes exist. And from our reading of the earlier version that applied from 17 March 2025, these defaults were already there. The changes we identified in the 2 November 2026 version concern intimate image abuse hash matching and crisis response, not grooming, and the Protection of Children Code does not mention grooming. Platform protections reduce some routes of contact but do not remove the risk, so adults still need to notice, listen and report.
What does KCSIE 2026 say about online safety and grooming?
KCSIE is statutory guidance for schools and colleges in England. Clubs and activity providers are not bound by it, but their own safeguarding policy or governing body will set similar expectations, and it is a useful benchmark. See our explainer on KCSIE. The points most relevant to grooming are:
- Four areas of online risk (paragraph 165). Content, contact, conduct and commerce. “Contact” includes adults posing as children to groom or exploit. “Conduct” includes making, sending and receiving explicit images, including AI-generated ones. The 2026 summary of changes lists “updated definitions of online risk categories”.
- Training (paragraph 12). Safeguarding training that includes online safety at induction, with online safety updates at least annually.
- Acting on a concern (paragraphs 57 to 62). Act immediately and speak to the designated safeguarding lead (DSL) or a deputy. If they are unavailable, do not delay. Do not assume someone else will pass on critical information.
- Confidentiality (paragraph 14). Never promise a child you will not tell anyone about a report of abuse.
- Online safety policy (paragraph 169). The child protection policy should reflect the online safety approach, including filtering and monitoring.
The 2026 edition renumbered the annexes: Annex A is now “Further information”, Annex B is the role of the DSL, and the old condensed Annex A for staff not working directly with children has been withdrawn, because all staff are expected to read Part one in full. An older policy or slide telling staff to read “Annex A” instead of Part one is out of date. For the DSL’s role, see our guide to the designated safeguarding lead.
What is sextortion and what should you do if a child is targeted?
The NCA’s page on sextortion calls it financially motivated sexual extortion: online blackmail in which an offender threatens to release sexual or indecent images unless the victim pays, or meets another demand such as buying a pre-paid gift card. Victims of any age can be targeted, but teenage males aged 14 to 17 and male adults aged 18 to 30 are particularly at risk, and it is usually carried out by organised criminal gangs, often overseas. It can look like contact from an unknown or hacked account, a quick move to sexually explicit chat, pressure to take nude images, and threats using real, hacked or AI-manipulated images.
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), which runs Report Remove with Childline, published figures on 7 April 2026. In 2025 Report Remove received 1,894 reports from children and young people (up 66% on 1,142 in 2024). Analysts confirmed child sexual abuse imagery on 1,175, and 34% of those (394 reports) involved some type of sextortion, up from 23% in 2024. Boys, especially those aged 14 to 17, accounted for 98% of reports involving sexually coerced extortion.
The NCA tells victims they have been tricked and it is not their fault, and advises:
- Stop contact and block the offender on every platform.
- Do not pay. Payment does not guarantee the threats stop, and the offender will likely ask for more. If you have paid, pay nothing more.
- Keep the evidence. Do not delete messages, images or bank details, and deactivate accounts rather than deleting them. If images are online, collect the links but share them with no one else.
- Report. An under-18 should tell a trusted adult, who can help report it to the police on 101 (or 999 if there is immediate risk of harm). With no trusted adult, the child can report to the CEOP Safety Centre.
- Get images removed. Under-18s should be supported to use Report Remove (Childline and the IWF) and Take It Down (from the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children), and to report to the platform.
How does Report Remove work? It is free, confidential and for people under 18 in the UK. The young person signs in or creates a Childline account and reports the image, video or link to the IWF, which can work with the police to get it taken down. Childline says the IWF reads reports within two working days, that removal can take hours on UK-hosted sites but days or weeks overseas, and that it cannot remove images on encrypted networks such as WhatsApp or saved on someone’s phone or computer. AI-generated fakes can be reported. A child can talk to Childline on 0800 1111 at any time, and the NCA says anyone in severe distress and thinking of harming themselves should call 999.
What should you do if you suspect a child is being groomed online?
Follow your organisation’s child protection policy first. If a child tells you they have been harmed, see our guide to what to do if a child tells you they are being harmed, and for a pupil showing you a nude image, see our guide to child-on-child abuse. This section covers the adult-to-child grooming angle.
- Immediate danger: call 999. The NSPCC says to call 999 if a child is at immediate risk and 101 if you think a crime has been committed.
- Stay calm and listen. The NSPCC advises you to listen carefully, tell the child they did the right thing and that it is not their fault, say you will take them seriously, explain what you will do next, and not confront the alleged abuser. KCSIE Part five (paragraph 558) says to ask only open-ended questions, avoid leading questions, and record only what the child says.
- Do not promise secrecy (KCSIE paragraph 14).
- Keep the evidence. Do not delete messages, accounts or the device’s contents. Do not forward, copy or screenshot a nude or sexual image of a child: the DfE and UKCIS advice says staff must not copy, print, share, store or save these images, and should not deliberately view them without a clear reason.
- Write down what you saw and heard the same day: date, time, the child’s own words in quotation marks, what you did and who you told.
- Tell your DSL or safeguarding lead immediately. KCSIE says to act on concerns immediately, which in practice means the same day. If the DSL is unavailable, do not delay: consider the senior leadership team or children’s social care, and tell the DSL as soon as practicable.
- Let the DSL decide the referral (KCSIE paragraph 60). Where an adult may be involved, the DfE and UKCIS advice says to refer straight away to the police or children’s social care.
- Report online abuse to CEOP and the police. The CEOP Safety Centre takes reports of online sexual abuse from anyone worried about a child. Call 101 to report a crime, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
| Who | When to use them |
|---|---|
| 999 | A child is in immediate danger, or the risk of harm is happening now |
| 101 (police) | You think a crime has been committed and nobody is in immediate danger |
| DSL or safeguarding lead | Any concern at work, the same day, before or alongside other reports |
| CEOP Safety Centre | Online sexual abuse or worrying online contact with a child, reported by a child, parent, carer or other worried adult |
| Local council children’s services | You are worried about a child and want to refer (KCSIE paragraph 67 points to the “Report child abuse to your local council” tool) |
| NSPCC Helpline: 0808 800 5000 | Advice for any adult worried about a child |
| Childline: 0800 1111 | The child wants to talk to someone, 24 hours a day |
What should you not do, and why is blaming the child wrong?
Well-meant mistakes do the most damage. Avoid these:
- Do not confront the suspected adult. The NSPCC says not to confront the alleged abuser. Investigation belongs to the police and children’s social care.
- Do not interrogate the child. Ask open questions and listen. Questions that start “why did you” can sound like blame.
- Do not blame or shame. KCSIE paragraph 15 says a victim should never be made to feel ashamed for reporting. The NCA and Childline both say it is not the child’s fault. Grooming exploits trust, so a child who went along with it was manipulated.
- Do not delete or wipe anything in a panic. The NCA advises blocking the offender but keeping messages, images and account data, and deactivating accounts rather than deleting them. Take advice from your DSL or the police before wiping a device.
- Do not wait for proof or assume someone else will act (KCSIE paragraph 62), or that it cannot happen in your setting (paragraph 57).
- Do not share it more widely. Only involve those who need to be involved (KCSIE paragraph 14), and never forward or post images or links.
How can parents and carers talk to children about online grooming?
The NCA advises parents to have frequent, open and non-judgemental conversations with their child about relationships, sex and being online, and to make sure the child knows the reporting routes. It also recommends the highest privacy settings, so that people the child does not know cannot contact them or see their friends and followers, and ending and blocking any chat with an unknown account that quickly turns sexual. The NSPCC has advice on difficult conversations, and KCSIE Annex A lists the Childnet toolkit for parents and carers.
Make clear the child will not be in trouble for what someone else has done to them, and make sure they know about Childline and Report Remove before they need them. Check an app’s own privacy and messaging settings rather than assuming they protect under-18s, because Ofcom’s recommended defaults apply only to some services. If your child tells you something, thank them, keep your reaction steady, keep the evidence and report it. The NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 can advise parents.
Clubs and activity providers are not bound by KCSIE, so follow your own safeguarding policy and governing body requirements, with a named safeguarding lead. Our guide to child-on-child abuse covers youth clubs and sport.
What training helps adults recognise and report grooming?
Three Nexis CPD courses build the knowledge behind these steps:
Together they cost £18 rather than £27 under the pay-for-2-get-3 offer, and employers training 5 or more staff pay £6 a course place on the team plan. These are awareness-level CPD courses, not regulated qualifications, and they do not replace your employer’s safeguarding policy, local procedures or specialist training. To start, choose Safeguarding Children (Advanced) Level 2: 20 questions, 80% to pass, and an instant certificate.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between online grooming and sextortion?
Grooming is building trust with a child to manipulate and abuse them. Sextortion is blackmail: an offender threatens to release sexual images unless the victim pays. It can follow grooming, or start with a fake account and quickly sexualised chat.
Is it illegal for an adult to send sexual messages to a child?
In England and Wales, section 15A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 makes it an offence for an adult to communicate sexually with a child under 16 for sexual gratification, with no need to meet. Other offences can apply to older teenagers, so report it whatever the child’s age.
Who should I tell first if I suspect a child is being groomed online?
Your designated safeguarding lead or safeguarding lead, the same day. Call 999 first if a child is in immediate danger. You can also report online abuse to CEOP or call 101 if you think a crime has been committed.
Should I delete the messages or confront the person?
No. Do not confront the adult. Keep messages and the device as they are, do not forward or copy sexual images of a child, and tell your safeguarding lead.
Where can a child get a nude image taken down?
Under-18s in the UK can use Report Remove from Childline and the Internet Watch Foundation, which is free and confidential. It cannot remove images on encrypted networks such as WhatsApp or saved on a device, so also report to the platform.
Does an awareness course replace my employer’s safeguarding procedures?
No. Awareness CPD is not a regulated qualification. It helps you recognise and report concerns, but you must still follow your employer’s policy, local safeguarding procedures and any specialist or face-to-face training your role needs.
General information, not legal advice. If a child is in immediate danger, call 999. This guide reflects the Sexual Offences Act 2003, the Protection of Children Act 1978, the Online Safety Act 2023, Ofcom’s codes and Keeping children safe in education 2026, as checked on 3 November 2026 against the sources named above. It covers England and, for the criminal law, England and Wales; Scotland and Northern Ireland have different laws. Nexis CPD courses are CPD-accredited awareness training, not regulated qualifications, and they do not replace your employer’s safeguarding policy, local multi-agency procedures or specialist training.