The master's thesis explores the presence and prevalence of online grooming experiences among adolescents and how such experiences affect their self-esteem. The theoretical part summarizes various authors’ starting points and research findings in the fields of online violence, online sexual violence, and online grooming. It highlights the elements of the process in which an adult builds up a trusting relationship with an adolescent with an aim to eventually interact with them sexually, be it online or offline. The next, empirical, part takes the form of a quantitative research. The survey was completed by 915 participants, attending the eighth and ninth grades of regular primary school as well as the first and second years of secondary school. The findings show that most of the participants experienced online grooming at least once in the past year. The second finding reveals that, compared to boys, girls experience online grooming more often and, likewise, the sexualization strategy is used with them more frequently. According to the participants' reports, the third finding is that adults use the strategies of misleading and showing interest in the victim's environment more often than the strategies of gift-giving, sexualization, and aggression. The fourth finding shows that the participants above the age of 15 have experienced online grooming more frequently than the younger participants. The final finding points to a statistically significant correlation between low self-esteem in adolescents and online grooming experiences.
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