Date

7-22-2025

Department

Helms School of Government

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice (PhD)

Chair

Gregory Koehle

Keywords

kmford@liberty.edu

Disciplines

Law

Abstract

Grooming children for sexual abuse is complex and challenging to understand because it is constantly evolving due to technology. Prior to the eruption of social media and internet platforms, predators typically had to be in a position to gain access to children or be close to a family with children to sexually groom, abuse, and exploit children. Technology has enabled predators to have instant access to children through chat applications and various internet platforms globally. This qualitative study explored the current platforms that impact child sexual victimization, the impact on victims' mental health, and the laws pertaining to online child sexual victimization. Prior research has indicated that child sexual abuse is a widespread global issue, and although the sexual grooming of minors is not new, the evolution of the Internet and social media applications has changed the methods in which offenders find their victims (Henkhaus, 2022). The theories that guided this study were the general theory of crime, the routine activities theory and its sub-theory of the crime pattern theory, and the rational choice theory. This qualitative study utilized semi-structured, open-ended interview questions with purposeful sampling of law enforcement agents and officers, victim support specialists, prosecuting attorneys, and computer forensic analysts who work at the local, state, and federal levels. The findings yield seven themes: evolution of online grooming methods, victims' vulnerabilities and risk factors, grooming tactics and perpetrator characteristics, impact on victims, challenges, systemic challenges, and support and resources. Additional findings and implications will be discussed at length within this study.

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