The following information are from NSPCC website:

What is grooming?

Grooming is when someone builds an emotional connection with a child to gain their trust for the purposes of , or .

Children and young people can be groomed online or face-to-face, by a stranger or by someone they know - for example a family member, friend or professional.

Groomers may be male or female. They could be any age.

Many children and young people don't understand that they have been groomed or that what has happened is abuse.

The signs of grooming aren't always obvious and groomers will often go to great lengths not to be identified.

If a child is being groomed they may:

be very secretive, including about what they are doing online

have older boyfriends or girlfriends

go to unusual places to meet friends

have new things such as clothes or mobile phones that they can't or won't explain

have access to drugs and alcohol.

In older children, signs of grooming can easily be mistaken for 'normal' teenage behaviour, but you may notice unexplained changes in behaviour or personality