Examining how children experience, interpret, and respond to incidents of online grooming and solicitation: Results from an Australian study

Background Child sex offenders employ specific strategies to groom children online for sexual abuse, often involving covert use of deception and emotional manipulation to build trust. Research often narrowly focuses on children's experiences of unwanted solicitation from adults, but misses experiences of covert grooming strategies and those where offenders pose as children—which may be difficult to identify and potentially increases risk of abuse. Objective This study examined the extent to which Australian children encounter a range of grooming and solicitation strategies from strangers online, and assessed their interpretations, responses and risk factors. Participants and setting Participants ( N = 304) aged 10–17, proportionally representing the broader Australian population, took part in an online survey. Methods The survey measured communication experiences related to 12 grooming and solicitation strategies from strangers, including comfort levels, perceived communicator age, and responses. It also assessed relationships with individual factors, digital engagements and safety practices. Results Nearly 66% experienced grooming-related communication, and 31% experienced solicitation. Experiences of specific strategies ranged from 15% (external enticements) to 54% (risk assessment). Participants mostly perceived this communication as neither comfortable nor uncomfortable, coming from another child, and responded by doing nothing or restricting the communicator. Increased digital engagement, especially posting media, was strongly linked to experiences of grooming and solicitation communication (η p 2 up to .157). No link was found with implementing digital safety practices, including parental mediation and privacy measures. Conclusions Findings highlight the high prevalence of grooming and solicitation-related communications received by Australian children online. Implications for educational interventions are discussed.