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Online Grooming Communication: The Child’s Perspective / RUTH MULLINEUX-MORGAN

Swansea University Author: RUTH MULLINEUX-MORGAN

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DOI (Published version): 10.23889/SUThesis.70948

Abstract

Online child sexual abuse (OCSEA) is a global pandemic and constantly evolving threat and urgent child protection emergency. It is a crime that takes many forms including digital child sexual grooming (DCSG). DCSG is estimated to affect one in eight children at some point in their childhood. Yet res...

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Published: Swansea 2025
Institution: Swansea University
Degree level: Doctoral
Degree name: Ph.D
Supervisor: Lorenzo-Dus, N.
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa70948
first_indexed 2025-11-20T11:31:00Z
last_indexed 2025-11-21T18:10:39Z
id cronfa70948
recordtype RisThesis
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spelling 2025-11-20T11:45:22.7182781 v2 70948 2025-11-20 Online Grooming Communication: The Child’s Perspective 69642058b2b6676d5ebcf3b7f6b8780c RUTH MULLINEUX-MORGAN RUTH MULLINEUX-MORGAN true false 2025-11-20 Online child sexual abuse (OCSEA) is a global pandemic and constantly evolving threat and urgent child protection emergency. It is a crime that takes many forms including digital child sexual grooming (DCSG). DCSG is estimated to affect one in eight children at some point in their childhood. Yet research into children’s perspectives and experience of DCSG remains scarce. Children’s discourse within or about their DCSG interactions is yet to be systematically studied, effectively silencing their voices.This thesis aims to address this important gap in knowledge by examining children’s accounts of their DCSG experiences via data provided by a UK national counselling helpline. A qualitative discourse analysis approach was adopted, with a focus on facework and appraisal theory. Children’s discourse provides vital insights into DCSG as a discursive process of goal (re)negotiation between communicative agents.Findings simultaneously validate and enhance previous understandings of DCSG interactions built upon the study of groomer language and address the identified research gap of a lack of focus on children’s discourse. Results evidence, in children’s own words, how multi-directional constraints shape their behaviours and thus agency in DCSG contexts. They also show children’s experiences and strategic efforts to navigate these constraints. The focus on groomer’s tactical manipulative communication and accompanying facework, as represented in the child’s discourse, uncovers new insights. For the first time the intersection of tactical manipulation, facework, emotion and their impacts on behaviour are explored. Research findings also emphasise the importance of future inquiry into children’s discourse in DCSG contexts. The findings provide broad scope for application across a public health approach to combatting child sexual abuse in all its forms. A continued commitment to this research agenda is essential to ensure holistic understandings of groomer <->child interactional dynamics. E-Thesis Swansea Applied Linguistics, Computer Mediated Discourse Analysis (CMDA), Online Grooming; (Im)Politeness, Facework, Appraisal Theory, Affect, Children’s Rights, Children’s Voices, Tech-Facilitated Child Sexual Abuse, Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation, Intersectionality. 29 10 2025 2025-10-29 10.23889/SUThesis.70948 A selection of content is redacted or is partially redacted from this thesis to protect sensitive and personal information. COLLEGE NANME COLLEGE CODE Swansea University Lorenzo-Dus, N. Doctoral Ph.D ESRC DTP ESRC DTP 2025-11-20T11:45:22.7182781 2025-11-20T11:11:33.4496767 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Culture and Communication - English Language, Tesol, Applied Linguistics RUTH MULLINEUX-MORGAN 1 70948__35668__7c1ebeb567ce41b496f581e92bbc70bc.pdf 2025_Mullineux_Morgan_R.final.70948_Redacted.pdf 2025-11-20T11:21:39.8982191 Output 10078230 application/pdf E-Thesis – open access true Copyright: the author, Ruth Mullineux-Morgan, 2025 true eng
title Online Grooming Communication: The Child’s Perspective
spellingShingle Online Grooming Communication: The Child’s Perspective
RUTH MULLINEUX-MORGAN
title_short Online Grooming Communication: The Child’s Perspective
title_full Online Grooming Communication: The Child’s Perspective
title_fullStr Online Grooming Communication: The Child’s Perspective
title_full_unstemmed Online Grooming Communication: The Child’s Perspective
title_sort Online Grooming Communication: The Child’s Perspective
author_id_str_mv 69642058b2b6676d5ebcf3b7f6b8780c
author_id_fullname_str_mv 69642058b2b6676d5ebcf3b7f6b8780c_***_RUTH MULLINEUX-MORGAN
author RUTH MULLINEUX-MORGAN
author2 RUTH MULLINEUX-MORGAN
format E-Thesis
publishDate 2025
institution Swansea University
doi_str_mv 10.23889/SUThesis.70948
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str School of Culture and Communication - English Language, Tesol, Applied Linguistics{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Culture and Communication - English Language, Tesol, Applied Linguistics
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description Online child sexual abuse (OCSEA) is a global pandemic and constantly evolving threat and urgent child protection emergency. It is a crime that takes many forms including digital child sexual grooming (DCSG). DCSG is estimated to affect one in eight children at some point in their childhood. Yet research into children’s perspectives and experience of DCSG remains scarce. Children’s discourse within or about their DCSG interactions is yet to be systematically studied, effectively silencing their voices.This thesis aims to address this important gap in knowledge by examining children’s accounts of their DCSG experiences via data provided by a UK national counselling helpline. A qualitative discourse analysis approach was adopted, with a focus on facework and appraisal theory. Children’s discourse provides vital insights into DCSG as a discursive process of goal (re)negotiation between communicative agents.Findings simultaneously validate and enhance previous understandings of DCSG interactions built upon the study of groomer language and address the identified research gap of a lack of focus on children’s discourse. Results evidence, in children’s own words, how multi-directional constraints shape their behaviours and thus agency in DCSG contexts. They also show children’s experiences and strategic efforts to navigate these constraints. The focus on groomer’s tactical manipulative communication and accompanying facework, as represented in the child’s discourse, uncovers new insights. For the first time the intersection of tactical manipulation, facework, emotion and their impacts on behaviour are explored. Research findings also emphasise the importance of future inquiry into children’s discourse in DCSG contexts. The findings provide broad scope for application across a public health approach to combatting child sexual abuse in all its forms. A continued commitment to this research agenda is essential to ensure holistic understandings of groomer <->child interactional dynamics.
published_date 2025-10-29T05:27:47Z
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score 11.089718

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