Resources for Parents

Groomingis a process by which an abuser gradually gains a child’s trust — and often the trust of their family — in order to manipulate, exploit, and abuse them. It is calculated and deliberate, not accidental.

Common grooming tactics include:

• Identifying and targeting vulnerable children (lonely, low self-esteem, family problems)
• Building trust with the child and family over time — often becoming a “trusted adult”
• Filling needs: gifts, attention, praise, emotional support
• Isolating the child from friends and family
• Desensitizing the child to physical touch and sexual topics
• Maintaining secrecy and using shame, guilt, or threats to keep the child silent

Key fact: Grooming can take weeks, months, or even years. Most abusers are known and trusted by the family before abuse begins.

Online predators use social media, gaming platforms, and messaging apps to contact children. They are skilled at finding and exploiting emotional vulnerabilities.

How they typically operate:

• Create fake profiles — often posing as teenagers or young adults
• Initiate contact through games, social media comments, or mutual groups
• Move conversations quickly to private messaging (DMs, Snapchat, Discord)
• Build emotional intimacy before introducing sexual topics
• Request or send explicit images, which they then use for blackmail (sextortion)
• Attempt to arrange in-person meetings

Platforms to monitor: Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Discord, Roblox, Minecraft online, Fortnite, WhatsApp, Telegram, and any app with a direct messaging feature.

Children rarely disclose abuse directly. Watch for behavioral and physical changes:

Child trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, or receipt of children for exploitation. It is one of the fastest-growing criminal industries in the world — and it happens in every community, not just in other countries.

Common misconceptions:

• Trafficking does NOT always involve crossing borders or kidnapping strangers
• Most traffickers are known to their victims — a boyfriend, family member, or “friend”
• Social media is the #1 recruitment tool for traffickers today
• Vulnerable children (runaways, those in foster care, LGBTQ+ youth, abuse survivors) are targeted most

Red flags a child may be trafficked:

• Unexplained absences from school or home
• New older “boyfriend” or “girlfriend” who provides gifts and money
• Signs of physical abuse, malnourishment, or exhaustion
• Scripted or inconsistent answers when asked questions
• Tattoos or branding marks

Report it: National Human Trafficking Hotline — 1-888-373-7888or text “HELP” to 233733

Teaching children about body autonomy — the right to say no to any touch they do not want — is one of the most effective tools for abuse prevention. Start early.