New technologies have turned out to be a great advance in our society and currently, those younger people who do not have a social profile on the networks are left on the margins of their reality. Having a profile on social networks can bring many advantages in socialization and has become the main source of entertainment.
However, we are faced with a reality and that is that its use has facilitated the emergence of more cases of sexual abuse of minors. Before we had to worry that children were not left alone in a park or did not frequent certain places, but now the little ones may be harassed from home, a phenomenon known as “grooming.” How can we avoid it? To know What is grooming and how to prevent itcontinue reading this Psychology-Online article.
What is grooming?
There are different types of grooming. Although its most common presentation is between an adult and a minor, grooming can also occur between minors, however generally there tends to be a large age difference, with the oldest being the abuser.
Grooming: meaning
Grooming, also called pedophile deception, is the cyberbullying by an adult towards a minor, with the aim of obtaining sexual purposes. To do this, the adult seeks to establish a relationship and emotional control over the minor, with the aim of prepare the ground for possible sexual abusegaining the child’s trust.
For this reason, this type of cyberbullying tends to be related to pedophilia, since when the minor refuses to accept what the adult asks of him, images are used to spread them.
How to prevent grooming?
How to avoid grooming? The main tool to prevent grooming is based on knowledge of its existence, in the same way that we alert minors that they must be careful when crossing the street or that they should not frequent certain areas of a city, because they can be mugged, it is essential that the minor recognizes the dangers which may involve making inappropriate use of Internet platforms and, above all, social networks to avoid grooming.
The minor’s lack of knowledge about these practices will make them a more vulnerable victim, for this reason it is essential to show their parents a set of guidelines to promote the prevention of this cyberbullying. To prevent grooming it is necessary:
- Security. It is essential to learn how to use social networks in a safe way, avoiding entering personal information about, for example, the location of the minor or their habits in their daily life, such as extracurricular activities, the places they most frequent,…
- Privacy. Make the minor understand the importance of privacy and teach him to use social media tools that preserve this privacy. In addition to educating them in the decision-making capacity to accept their friends on social networks, avoiding accepting unknown people, as well as avoiding accepting invitations to strange private messages or games.
- Grooming cases. Show the children the different news published in reference to cases of grooming, so that they become aware of said situation and information and observe that these events occur on a daily basis and They can happen to anyone.
Any information that may be presented will seem insufficient, however prevention begins with the minor’s awareness and understanding of these events. However, even if the minor learns to make good use of social networks, his immediate environment, the adults around him, must accompany him in his protection, always allowing the minor to feel free to discover, learn and experiment through himself, thereby avoiding overprotection.
On the other hand, one of the most important elements is establish a bond of trust with your son or daughter, since you can try to follow all possible preventions and they will never be enough. Therefore, it is possible that your child finds himself in this situation and in front of it, he must feel safe and comfortable to tell what is happening to him.
Consequences of grooming
This act produces serious consequences, both for its victim and the aggressor. In the case of the victim, the consequences that appear can be psychological, physical and/or social, while the consequences directed at the harasser tend to be legal in nature. The consequences of grooming for the victim and the aggressor are the following:
Consequences of grooming for the victim
- Psychological consequences: As a result of the events, the minor may suffer from decreased self-esteem, feelings of distrust, sudden and unexpected changes in mood, decreased school performance, tendency to isolation, alterations in the rhythm of sleep and eating, and in the most serious cases, may appear.
- Physical consequences: When the adult manages to consent to the act, the minor may suffer wounds or injuries, as well as trauma in the most serious cases, derived from sexual abuse.
- Social consequences: A decline in social relationships may appear, given the intense feelings of mistrust, difficulties in communication, the appearance of blackmail to family members by the aggressor,…
Consequences of grooming for the aggressor
The Clegal consequences For the aggressor, they will vary depending on the crime committed, since it will be different if it is a case of dissemination of pornographic images, exhibitionism, sexual abuse, psychological damage to the minor, etc.,…
Examples of grooming
- A real example that we can find of this nature happened when two harassers opened fictitious profiles on social networks, tricking their victims into obtaining images of sexual content, harassing 560 people.
- Another example would be that of a stalker who, through WhatsApp, offered a monetary reward of €20 in exchange for sexual images, going so far as to give the minor a mobile phone to guarantee continuing contact with the minor.
- A man was sentenced to 16 years in prison, with a fine of €7,920, since he created a false profile on social networks, posing as a minor, which offered mobile recharges in exchange for being sent images or videos of content. sexual.
- In another case, a man posed as a 14-year-old girl, exchanging photos with different minors, ultimately causing one of his victims to commit suicide.
- Finally, another real case was that of a man who managed to obtain the social media accounts of his victims and with them, requested images of a sexual nature from his contacts.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
- Galence, V. P. (2011). Cyber-bullying with sexual intent and child-grooming. Quadernos de criminología: journal of criminology and forensic sciences, (15), 22-33.
- Falcó García, R. (2016). Protect yourself. Grooming prevention program.
- Juan, IM, Vayá, EJC, & García, MS (2014). Online child sexual victimization: online grooming, cyber abuse and cyber sexual harassment. Sexual crimes against minors: psychological, legal and police approach, 203-224.
- Villacampa Estiarte, C., & Gómez Adillón, M. (2016). New technologies and sexual victimization of minors due to online grooming. Electronic Journal of Criminal Science and Criminology, 2016, vol. 18, no. 2 P. 1-27.