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Health · 19 May 2026

27% of children groomed online, new study finds

27% of children groomed online, new study finds

Children worldwide face a serious threat, with experts calling online grooming a "worldwide health emergency" due to potential lasting trauma and ill health. A study carried out by the Childlight Institute, an organization associated with the University of Edinburgh, was published on a Tuesday, revealing that 27% of children encounter this problem. Of those affected, 38.6% are girls and 19% are boys under the age of eighteen, and a portion of these children encounter sextortion.

Reported by Independent · How we write briefs

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