In Brief

  • Challenge: OurTech Challenge
  • Challenge Type: National Challenge Fund
  • Status: Active

The Challenge

Child grooming profoundly affects the well-being of children and young people, who must be protected from it. The lack of reporting on child grooming hampers our understanding of its true extent and impedes effective resource allocation. We can prevent manipulation, exploitation, and abuse, by actively combatting grooming through increasing awareness and encouraging reporting, thereby safeguarding children and empowering them to recognise and resist grooming tactics. Addressing grooming fosters a safer environment for children's growth and education.  

The Solution

Collaborative efforts among stakeholders are needed to design an effective solution and uncover insights from data to optimise resource allocation and establish evidence-based policies. 

The GroSafe app, designed specifically for children and their guardians, will be informed by qualitative research to identify existing reporting barriers. It empowers users to combat child grooming through three key functions:  

  • informing users about grooming threats,  
  • providing support and service signposting through an AI chatbot, and  
  • enabling reporting of harmful behaviors online and offline.  

Collected data will be analysed to offer up-to-date threat information and reports to government departments and relevant stakeholders. GroSafe will adhere to the Children First (2017) guidelines, and ethical practices like explainable AI, transparency, trust, and bias mitigation. By promoting collaboration and resource allocation, the app will enhance policy development and address the somewhat fragmented landscape in child protection.

The Team 

  • Team Lead: Dr Christina Thorpe, TU Dublin  
  • Team Co-Lead: Dr Matt Bowden, TU Dublin  

Societal Impact Champion  

  • Fiona Jennings, Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children