Health · 19 May 2026
27% of children groomed online, new study finds
Unsplash / Compare Fibre
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