He/she looks cool... But why do I feel like something is wrong?
The rapid development of the Internet has also given rise to new phenomena, such as grooming. In most cases, these are adults who try to maintain contact with minors through Internet games or social media, and to establish a relationship of trust. Here are some tips to help young people avoid falling into the trap.
How can children and young people protect themselves from grooming?
Not everyone is who they say they are online. Groomers try to establish a relationship of trust with their victim: this is a well-known technique.
Chatting with strangers in online games or on social media is not problematic in itself. However, sometimes you are encouraged to continue the conversation in private discussions on other apps. It is therefore recommended to stay on the chat channel and stick to the original topic: this reduces the risk of manipulation.
Avoid sharing personal information such as address, school, photos, exact age, being "home alone ," etc. It may seem trivial, but this information can beexploitedby grooming authors to pretend to be a friend.
What are the warning signs?
An alarm signal should be triggered if someone:
- insists that the conversation be kept confidential by using the classic formula "it's our little secret";
- promptly asks questions of a sexual nature;
- promises or offers gifts.
What to do if you are still a victim?
The most important message is that the victim is not responsible in any way. Grooming authors deliberately play on emotions, insecurities and shame. The children or young people concerned are therefore not responsible in any way.
- Talking about what's going on is essential. Keeping silent only strengthens the author's power. It is therefore essential to talk about the situation with people you trust: parents, teacher, CPMS employee or educator. If the victim is afraid to talk about it to those around them, they can also contact, anonymously or not, professional helplines:
- Child Focus : the organization has several subsites with useful information on the subject: To Each His MAX and CyberSquad. Victims and their relatives can also call 116 000 free of charge, which is accessible 24/7.
- 103 Listening
- Tele-reception : call or chat at 107
- Preserve the evidence! The first thing to do is to take screenshots of conversations, usernames, photos, threatening messages, etc., and then block the perpetrator.
Grooming is in all cases a punishable act for which a complaint can be filed with the police. Even without a physical encounter, it remains punishable. All the material collected can be passed on to the police so that they can accompany the victim and identify the perpetrator.
Also discover here, or on our social networks, the video dedicated to grooming made by our colleague and Instagram influencer Quentin Davin.
"To talk about grooming is to break the silence. And that's precisely what the authors fear most."