This Element examines technology-assisted grooming of children for sex - henceforth, online grooming - as an illegal practice of communicative manipulation and, as such, something that research within the academic field of forensic linguistics is ideally placed to help counter.
Focusing on the rising issue of illicit digital activity, the book delves into the criminal practices of digital grooming across various domains, including sexual, ideological, and commercial. By examining the manipulation tactics employed by extremists on social media, it highlights the urgent need for effective countermeasures. The findings aim to guide practitioners in creating detection tools and prevention training, offering critical insights into combating the growing threat of digital grooming.