RAINN’s hotline is free and confidential, every hour of every day: 800-656-4673. If a child is at risk now, Childhelp is at 800-422-4453, by call or text. In immediate danger, call 911.
What it is
Most child sexual abuse is not committed by strangers. The CDC reports that about 90% of it is committed by someone “known and trusted by the child or child’s family members” (page last reviewed May 16, 2024). Grooming is the word used for how that trust is built and then used: attention, gifts and special treatment, time alone, and secrets.
The federal statutes cited on this page do not use the word. The closest federal crime is enticement. Under 18 U.S.C. 2422(b), it is a federal offense to use the mail, the internet or any other means of interstate commerce to knowingly persuade, induce, entice or coerce anyone under 18 into criminal sexual activity, “or attempts to do so.” Because the attempt is itself a crime, enticement can be prosecuted before any contact happens. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children does use the word. It describes online enticement as communicating with someone believed to be a child “with the intent to commit a sexual offense or abduction,” and says the category includes cases in which “a child is being groomed” to send sexual images or to meet in person. NCMEC’s CyberTipline received 1.4 million online enticement reports in 2025, 158% more than in 2024, a rise NCMEC links to a 2024 federal law requiring online companies to report enticement.
Grooming happens in families, schools, churches, sports, youth programs and online. It can be aimed at teenagers as well as young children. Online, the FBI warns that the people who exploit young people “have studied how to reach and target children and teens.” Our page on child sexual abuse covers what follows when grooming leads to abuse.
Signs and how it is reported
The Justice Department’s National Sex Offender Public Website lists adult behaviors that are warning signs:
- “Having ‘secret’ interactions with children/teens (e.g., games, secret gifts, sharing drugs, alcohol or sexual material)”
- “Spending unusual amounts of uninterrupted isolated time alone with a child/teen”
- Insisting on hugging, tickling, wrestling or holding when the child or teen does not want it
- Having few or no adult friends of their own age, with friendships mainly among children or teens
The same site lists changes a child may show, including money or gifts with no explanation, a new fear of certain people or places, and sudden mood swings. One sign is not proof. A pattern is worth acting on.
Online. The FBI describes the openings it sees: “compliments or flattery or the pretense of beginning a romantic relationship,” or an offer of something a young person values, such as “online game credits or codes; or money, cryptocurrency, and gift cards.” Its advice to young people is to “be suspicious if you meet someone on one game or app and this person asks you to start talking on a different platform.” The National Human Trafficking Hotline flags a young person “newly showered with gifts or money,” or in a fast-moving relationship with a large difference in age, or in a relationship “that seems too close with someone they know solely on social media.”
Where to report. Concerns about a child go to the state or county child protective services agency or the police, and Childhelp, 800-422-4453, answers calls and texts 24 hours a day. Online enticement is reported to NCMEC’s CyberTipline at 1-800-843-5678, or to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI. In sport, federal law gives the U.S. Center for SafeSport its own reporting process (36 U.S.C. 220541), and adults authorized to work with minor athletes must report suspected child abuse within 24 hours (34 U.S.C. 20341). Our guide to reporting abuse explains each route.
Adults who recognize grooming in their own past decide for themselves whether to report, and when. A civil claim does not need a police report.
Civil claims that may apply
In a claim against an organization, grooming behavior can matter as evidence, because much of it can happen where other adults could see it. Secret gifts, closed-door meetings, overnight trips and private messages are the kind of conduct that a school, church, coach’s club or youth program can see and stop. A claim against the organization usually rests on state negligence law: whether it took reasonable care in hiring and supervising the person, whether it had rules against unsupervised one-on-one contact and enforced them, and whether it acted on complaints. Whether a particular organization can be held responsible depends on the state and the facts.
Federal law sets a written standard for organized amateur sport. Under 36 U.S.C. 220542, national governing bodies must have “reasonable procedures to limit one-on-one interactions” between a minor athlete and an unrelated adult, unless the interaction is “observable and interruptible.” Our pages on youth and college sports, camps and youth programs, public schools, private and religious schools and churches cover the rules in each setting. All of them are listed on the institutions hub.
Online platforms. Families have sued gaming and chat platforms alleging that the platforms’ design and safety failures let adults contact and exploit children. Those federal cases are consolidated as MDL No. 3166 before Chief Judge Richard Seeborg in the Northern District of California, which had 180 pending actions on October 1, 2026, according to the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. The claims include negligence, failure to warn and design defect, and they are allegations. Roblox has told investors it “intends to defend itself vigorously,” and Discord denies the allegations. Platforms also raise Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act as a defense. Our Roblox and Discord pages follow these cases, and our page on online exploitation and sextortion covers images and threats.
Federal claim for minors. A person who, while a minor, was a victim of federal enticement under section 2422 or of other listed federal sex crimes can sue under 18 U.S.C. 2255, which has had no time limit since September 16, 2022 for claims not already barred on that date. State deadlines differ; our statute of limitations reference covers each state, and our guide to filing anonymously explains suing under initials.
Support resources
Childhelp, 800-422-4453, takes calls and texts for and about children. RAINN’s hotline, 800-656-4673, and its online chat are for anyone affected by sexual abuse, at any age. Men who were groomed as boys can reach 1in6. Anyone thinking about suicide can call or text 988.
Parents who are worried, or who have just learned something, can start with our guide for families. Trauma and healing describes support that does not depend on any legal step. Related pages in this section cover adult sexual assault and sex trafficking, which can begin with the same kind of attention and gifts; every type is listed on the types of abuse hub.
Questions we are asked most
It is the way an abuser builds trust, access and secrecy with a young person through attention, gifts, time alone and secrets. The CDC reports that about 90% of child sexual abuse is committed by someone known and trusted by the child or family.
It can be. Under 18 U.S.C. 2422(b), using the internet or other interstate means to persuade, entice or coerce someone under 18 into criminal sexual activity is a federal crime, and so is the attempt. State laws differ.
The Justice Department's National Sex Offender Public Website lists secret interactions or gifts, unusual amounts of time alone with a child or teen, insisting on physical contact the child does not want, and having few adult friends of their own age. One sign is not proof, but a pattern is worth acting on.
Concerns about a child go to child protective services or the police, and Childhelp at 800-422-4453 answers calls and texts 24 hours a day. Online enticement can be reported to the NCMEC CyberTipline at 1-800-843-5678 or to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov. In immediate danger, call 911.
It may be, depending on the state and the facts. Claims against organizations usually ask whether they took reasonable care in hiring and supervising the person, whether they had and enforced rules against unsupervised one-on-one contact, and whether they acted on complaints. Federal law requires organized amateur sport to limit one-on-one contact between minor athletes and unrelated adults unless it is observable and interruptible.
Yes. Federal cases against Roblox and other platforms are consolidated as MDL No. 3166 in the Northern District of California, which had 180 pending actions on October 1, 2026. The claims are allegations; Roblox says it will defend itself vigorously and Discord denies the allegations.
- JPML, Pending MDL Dockets by Actions Pending, report of October 1, 2026 (MDL No. 3166: 180 pending, 190 total) Accurate as of October 1, 2026.
- Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, Transfer Order, In re: Roblox Corporation Child Sexual Exploitation and Assault Litigation, MDL No. 3166 (December 12, 2025) Accurate as of December 12, 2025.
- 18 U.S.C. 2422, coercion and enticement Accurate as of October 5, 2026.
- 18 U.S.C. 2255, civil remedy for personal injuries Accurate as of October 5, 2026.
- 36 U.S.C. 220541, U.S. Center for SafeSport Accurate as of October 5, 2026.
- 36 U.S.C. 220542, additional duties (reporting, one-on-one contact) Accurate as of October 5, 2026.
- 34 U.S.C. 20341, child abuse reporting by covered individuals Accurate as of October 5, 2026.
- Roblox Corporation, Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2026 (state suits and settlements as of July 30, 2026) Accurate as of July 30, 2026.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, About Child Sexual Abuse (page last reviewed May 16, 2024) Accurate as of May 16, 2024.
- U.S. Department of Justice, National Sex Offender Public Website, How to Identify Accurate as of October 5, 2026.
- FBI, Sextortion (guidance for victims and caregivers) Accurate as of July 18, 2025.
- NCMEC, CyberTipline Data 2025 Accurate as of December 31, 2025.
- National Human Trafficking Hotline, Recognizing the Signs Accurate as of October 5, 2026.
- National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, CyberTipline.
- FBI tips
- Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline, (800) 422-4453, 24/7, for "anyone concerned about or affected by child abuse" Accurate as of October 5, 2026.
