Online Grooming
Europe
Written by Dylan Kim
The ever-growing and increasingly elaborate methods of online grooming in Latin America have become a major concern amid the region's rising use of digital technologies. This research focuses on Argentina and Spain, aiming to uncover the harsh tactics used by online predators and shed light on the severity of the issue, which remains largely unaddressed. Despite the growing threat, many of the country’s responses have been symbolic or ineffective, highlighting an urgent need for stronger, more actionable measures to protect vulnerable populations.
Argentina
Over six in ten children with access to the internet interact with "unknown others” daily despite concerns about online grooming, according to new research released by Save the Children and Western Sydney University. In a day and age where it is impossible to avoid social media and interaction with others, the ever-growing issue of online grooming has become a burdensome worry for many parents. Despite the many efforts by organizations, governments, and social media companies, the exponential growth of online grooming has been an ongoing problem.
In Argentina, the City of Buenos Aires’ Public Prosecutor’s Office investigates between 80 and 100 concurrent grooming cases in the city. The country recorded 340 convictions for this crime between 2016 and 2022. To address the issue, Argentina has a law named after a 12-year-old victim, Micaela Ortega, who was deceived on Facebook by a 26-year-old man who faked his profile as another 12-year-old friend. Unfortunately, Micaela ended up being murdered by the same man who had groomed her, causing a huge uproar in Argentina. This led to the establishment of the Micaela Ortega Law (Law 27.590), which sought to raise awareness and prevent online grooming. However, many citizens and experts have called this law merely “symbolic” and “deficient,” as evident by the ongoing instances of online grooming in Argentina.
In a country where spreading awareness and preventing online grooming was promised to citizens, 55 out of every 100 Argentinian minors don’t know what grooming is, one study showed. Not only were Argentinian minors uneducated about what grooming was, but the process and methods by which grooming occurs have constantly been changing each year. For example, when there was more oversight on Facebook to stop online grooming, many children, wanting to seek privacy, moved to platforms such as Omegle, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. In just a few years, out of 354 grooming cases initiated in 2024, only two involved the use of Facebook.
Most importantly, however, is the way the government is addressing the issue of grooming. Even with laws like the Penal Code, which carries a sentence from six months to four years, and the Micaela Ortega Law (Law 27.590), there hasn’t been much done to punish these criminals. For example, among the online grooming cases from 2016 to 2018, 63 resulted in probation, and only 12 led to prison sentences. If the majority of cases end up in probation with no prison time, this does not create any real deterrent for criminals, who continue to exploit minors—leading to the constant rise in online grooming incidents.
Spain
Because of Covid 19, Spain, like many other countries, has been a victim in an exponential surge of internal usage by children. However, because technology has expanded too quickly, it has been difficult for Spain to keep up with proper protective regulations and safe digital education, leaving many children vulnerable to online grooming.
In a shocking statistic presented by Save the Children, one in 5 young people in Spain said images of them naked created with Artificial Intelligence were shared online without their consent when they were under 18 and nearly all reported sexual violence of some kind online. And a shocking case emerged as a 12-year-old girl in Alicante who was blackmailed with AI-generated explicit images, highlighting how AI tools are enabling new, insidious forms of abuse that can severely impact victims' psychological well-being and sense of agency. Similar to Argentina, the progressive new methods, as seen with the emergence of AI in online grooming, caused huge outcry amongst the people of Spain.
A recent research from Save the Children Spain and the European Association for the Digital Transition presents a startling image of child sexual assault on the internet. A study that polled over 1,000 young people between the ages of 18 and 21 found that 97% of them had experienced online sexual assault before turning 18. Surprisingly, one in five respondents reported that they had uninvited internet sharing of their sexual photos—generated by artificial intelligence—while still minors. In addition, over 25% of respondents reported having been forced to submit sensitive information, with many of them having to cope with threats or extortion.
Because of the shocking and disturbing instances of online grooming, Spain has created a lot of laws and jurisdiction regarding online and internet. For instance, the minimum age for opening a social media account in Spain will increase from 14 to 16. Technological companies will be required to install age verification and parental controls on social media and video-sharing applications. Additionally, Spain’s government has banned the use of cellphones in elementary schools and required high schools to justify their use for educational purposes. The government says the average age for children to receive their first cellphone is 11. Along with this, all teachers in Spain have to instruct students on internet safety and launch public awareness campaigns on the dangers of digital addiction, abuse and privacy concerns. These types of measures are necessary and are the first steps to properly address the issues and spread awareness about the issues of online grooming.
