Online Grooming & Exploitation: Statistics and Facts
Grooming on social media and other digital platforms has taken a turn for the worse in recent years, growing more common as more youth spend more time online. If your child has experienced grooming on social media or a social gaming platform, you may be eligible to file an online grooming abuse lawsuit on their behalf.
Have you experienced sexual assault or abuse?
Helping Survivors can connect you with an attorney if you may have a case. While we cannot report a crime on your behalf, your safety is important. Please contact your local authorities for further assistance.
"*" indicates required fields
Author: Kathryn Kosmides
Survivor Advocate
- The incidence of online grooming and sextortion has risen significantly over the last five years as more children and teens flock to online social spaces.
- A recent study found that nearly half of the children surveyed report they’ve been approached online by someone they believe was trying to “befriend and manipulate” them.
- Young girls tend to be more vulnerable targets for grooming and sexual exploitation, while young boys are increasingly being targeted for financial sextortion.
Online grooming is an abuse tactic used by internet predators, typically to sexually exploit children and teenagers. Predators attempt to build trust, manipulating the child with fear, shame, and guilt. They then use this trust to sexually exploit their victims.
Statistics show that the prevalence of online grooming is increasing exponentially as more children use social media and online gaming platforms regularly. This data is crucial for identifying risks, preventing grooming, and shaping policy on digital safety for youth.
In an era where the internet has become integrated into every aspect of daily life, the traditional “stranger danger” approach to online safety may no longer be as effective. For instance, a large number of young people say they have close friends online. While these friendships can provide critical support, the anonymity of many online platforms allows predators to build false friendships, isolate, and victimize youth.
Key Online Grooming Statistics
Approaches
Unfortunately, many young people view flirting with or dating adults online as normal. A 2022 study that surveyed 1,000 youths found that 40% of the children reported they had been approached online by someone they believed was attempting “to befriend and manipulate” them. That same percentage, including 1 in 4 children aged 9 through 12, reported experiencing cold solicitations for nudes online.
Meanwhile, two-thirds of minors in the study said they experienced an online-only contact inviting them to move to a private conversation on a different platform.
Age Vulnerability
Victims of online grooming are typically between the ages of 10 and 17 years old, but the FBI has reportedly seen victims as young as 9 years old. Other research revealed that tweens aged 9 through 12 view flirting or dating adults as common in their age group.
Gender Vulnerability
Statistics show that teen girls are more likely to experience being approached online by someone attempting to befriend and manipulate them. However, anyone can be a target of online grooming and exploitation.
Daily Exposure
Many teens use social media daily, though the usage varies by platform. Half of teens aged 13 through 17 say they use Snapchat and Instagram—the most common platforms for sextortion—daily. Additionally, studies indicate that 1 in 7 minors report being asked for sexual images by strangers online on a daily or weekly basis.
Sextortion
Reports of sextortion, a form of blackmail that often follows grooming, have increased significantly over the last several years.
Some online predators use extortion and blackmail tactics to force victims to comply with their demands, often coercing them to send explicit images or videos of themselves. Predators will then threaten to share those images if the victim does not comply with demands for money, more images, and more.
Currently, Snapchat is facing dozens of lawsuits regarding sextortion on its app.
How Common Is Online Grooming?
Research suggests that the prevalence of online grooming ranges from 9% to 19%. The rise of social media and other digital platforms has expanded abusers’ reach and opportunities, allowing them to follow children to their digital spaces. Additionally, the internet has normalized communication with strangers, complicating the threat.
A 2024 study found that over 300 million children worldwide were victims of online sexual exploitation and abuse in the previous 12 months. One case of abuse was reported every second.
According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, or NCMEC, online enticement reports in the United States jumped from 292,951 in the first half of 2024 to 518,720 in the first half of 2025. Financial sextortion reports nearly doubled in the same period, and child sex trafficking reports increased by 10 times.
Who is at Risk? Demographics & Vulnerability
The prevalence of online grooming varies by age, gender, platforms, and risk factors in victims. For example, nearly one-third of LGBTQ+ minors reported experiencing grooming, as well as 20% of all 15- to 17-year-olds and 18% of all teen girls.
Predators target vulnerable populations, including minors with mental health issues. Financial sextortion specifically tends to target teen boys with demands for money, while typical sextortion is more common to occur to young girls.
Social Media Grooming Statistics
Online grooming has evolved quickly on social gaming platforms. Currently, after befriending children, many predators attempt to move the conversation to private messaging apps. They may do this by creating fictional personas, portraying themselves as children, teenagers, or even trustworthy adults.
Though Instagram and Snapchat had the highest rates of sextortion and grooming among social media platforms, gaming platforms like Meta VR and Roblox have also faced countless lawsuits in recent years for failing to protect children.
Online Grooming Trends Over Time
Online enticement and financial sextortion reports have nearly doubled from 2024 to 2025. Additionally, data from the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children shows that online grooming crimes have risen by 80% in the past four years, a sharp spike since the COVID-19 pandemic.
A new and frightening trend has emerged in online grooming recently, driven by the rise of AI. Extorters now use generative AI tools to create explicit images using victims’ faces from social media, then blackmail them with the fake images.
Grooming vs. Other Forms of Online Exploitation
The rising number of grooming cases has directly led to an increase in sexual exploitation, including online sextortion. Sextortion is a major threat, with more than 800 reports per week to the NCMEC in the last year of data analyzed. The majority presumably may involve financial sextortion.
Tactics predators use for typical sextortion differ from those used for financial sextortion. Typical sextortion involves more time developing a relationship with the victim, with subtle coercion and manipulation. Contrarily, financial sextortion reports often feature aggressive, rapid exchanges with threats of life-altering consequences if victims fail to pay.
Actionable Takeaways
With online grooming on the rise, it is imperative for parents and caregivers to have open, honest conversations with their children about their digital lives and online safety, and these conversations need to start much earlier than parents may think necessary. Because online relationships can be important for teens, completely eliminating them for all age groups is unrealistic. It’s important to guide your children through these topics with understanding, empathy, and support.
The FBI has urged the public to be extremely vigilant when posting photos, videos, or personal identifying information online, as well as when communicating with strangers. Parents should monitor their children’s accounts and continue to discuss the risks of sharing personal information frequently.
Want To Speak With A Lawyer?
