Strangers, known adults and peers: who harms kids online
Strangers are a real risk on open platforms. But most online sexual abuse involves people a child already knows, so "no strangers" is only part of the answer.
A 2022 national US study found about 1 in 6 young adults (15.6%) experienced online sexual abuse before 18, and 5.4% were groomed online by an adult. Most offenders (62%) were people the young person knew offline, often dating partners, and almost a third were under 18. Strangers also use open apps to make contact. An invite-only network removes the stranger route, and rules for every adult address the rest.
What the research found
- National US study (Finkelhor, Turner & Colburn, JAMA Network Open, 2022): 2,639 young adults reported on childhood. Before 18: online child sexual abuse 15.6%, image-based sexual abuse 11.0%, online grooming by adults 5.4%, sextortion 3.5%. About 62% of perpetrators were acquaintances from offline life, and almost a third were under 18.
- Strangers on open platforms (Thorn, 2022, updated 2024): 40% of minors said they'd been approached by someone they thought was trying to befriend and manipulate them, and 65% said an online-only contact had tried to move them to a private chat on another app.
- Earlier national data (Finkelhor, Hammer & Sedlak, 2008) also found most children who were harmed knew the person.
Where experts disagree
Researchers at the University of New Hampshire's Crimes against Children Research Center argue the "internet predator stranger" image is misleading: much online sexual abuse extends from dating abuse, sexual bullying and harassment among peers and acquaintances. Simple "don't talk to strangers" warnings are unlikely to be enough on their own.
How this shaped OurDot
OurDot is invite-only, with no search or public profiles, so strangers can't find or message a child. Because known adults can cause harm too, the same open rules apply to every adult who isn't a guardian: no one-on-one chats with a child, and a child is never alone on a call with an adult who isn't their guardian. Every child has an always-open guardian line, and anyone can report or block. No app can promise a child is safe, and guardians remain the most important protection.
What we don't claim
- That OurDot is "predator-proof" or 100% safe.
- That most online abuse comes from strangers. The research says otherwise.