Cybergrooming - How to deal with the topic in class
Cybergrooming is a crime in which adults gain the trust of children and young people via the Internet - with the aim of sexual harassment or sexual abuse. Perpetrators contact their victims via social media, via the chat function of digital games or gaming portals and pretend to be a person of the same age . Sometimes perpetrators also claim that they are model agents or professional gamers who want to help the children and young people to succeed. After a few harmless chat messages, they try to get pictures of their victims or arrange a private meeting.
The following questions can be helpful in the exchange in class :
- What is behind the term cybergrooming? Translate the word into German together and discuss why this term is used. The word "to groom" can mean many things; for example, one translation is "to prepare someone for something" or "to groom." What might it mean in this context?
- Who has had experience with problematic chats? Who knows someone who has had experience with this? Discuss students' own experiences with cybergrooming. Depending on the class, it may be useful to address these questions using an analog or digital box (shoebox, digital bulletin board). This way, the students can anonymously post their experiences, but also questions about the topic.
You can find numerous examples of cybergrooming on the Internet. You can use these to discuss with the class whether and how cybergrooming can be recognized. At handysektor.de or at juuuport.de you will find chat examples that illustrate cybergrooming and the strategies behind it.
klicksafe poster "Warning Signals in Chat
Another way to recognizecybergrooming is to collect alert signals at . Our poster "Warning signals in chat" can help with this. Hang up the poster in the class, discuss it and then create your own class poster together. You can define your own warning signals that are not mentioned on the poster or work out further examples for the mentioned warning signals.
This text is based on an article by our partner saferinternet.at.
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