One in four children being groomed online in ‘worldwide health emergency’
A recent report reveals that over one in four children are being groomed online, highlighting a significant global health crisis. The study indicates that 38.6% of girls and 19% of boys experience grooming before the age of 18. Experts are calling for governments to prioritize this issue as a public health concern.
- ▪27% of children are reported to be groomed online, according to the Childlight Global Child Safety Institute.
- ▪The report states that one in ten children may face 'sextortion', a form of online blackmail.
- ▪More than 300 million children experienced some form of sexual exploitation online in the last year.
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NewsUKCrimeOne in four children being groomed online in ‘worldwide health emergency’Study also shows that 1,500 people possess ‘paedophile manuals’ to evade justiceRyan McDougall Tuesday 19 May 2026 00:01 BSTBookmarkBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":false,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2978702","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/children-online-grooming-sextortion-childlight-b2978702.html","title":"One in four children being groomed online in ‘worldwide health emergency’"}}Parents of teenage who took his own life after being victim of sextortion sue MetaFor free real time breaking…
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