Online Grooming Patterns: What New Research Reveals

A major new study from the University of Edinburgh's Digital Childhoods Research Group, published in early 2026, has analysed over 3,000 cases of online grooming reported to CEOP between 2022 and 2025. The findings reveal significant shifts in how perpetrators operate and which children are most at risk. The research identifies three distinct grooming patterns that have become more prevalent. The first is 'rapid grooming', where perpetrators move from initial contact to sexual requests within hours or days rather than weeks. This pattern is most common on live-streaming and short-form video platforms, where the perceived intimacy of real-time interaction accelerates the grooming process. The second is 'peer-disguise grooming', where adults create convincing profiles posing as teenagers and embed themselves in online communities frequented by young people. The third is 'platform-hopping', where groomers make initial contact on a public platform and quickly move the conversation to an encrypted messaging app to avoid detection. The study also found that boys now account for nearly 40% of grooming victims — a significant increase from previous estimates. Boys are particularly targeted through gaming platforms and forums related to sport, fitness, and music. Many boys do not recognise grooming behaviour because public awareness campaigns have historically focused on female victims. Practical implications for parents: be aware that grooming can happen much faster than you might expect. Know which platforms your child uses and whether they allow direct messaging from strangers. Talk to boys as well as girls about grooming risks. Encourage your child to tell you if anyone online asks them to move to a different platform or keep their conversations secret.