I feel grooming has always been a persistent reality on the internet, but only have advocacy, attitudes and conversations surrounding sexual related crimes changed over the past few years.
I remember sometimes going on those chatting room websites in the early 10's and seeing a shit ton of older men in their 30's and 40's asking for young boys/girls to have sex with, to the point they would fill almost the entire screen. Grooming was also highlighted by news networks as a huge issue posed towards social media and online games targeted towards kids around the late 00's-early 10's. There were also early cases of grooming on Youtube, such as the Austin Jones situation, where the initial allegations were dismissed, but was fortunately caught the second time and prosecuted.
However, I think the problem of how grooming has been framed until very recently has the same problem as phenomenoms such as "stranger danger" irl; it is heavily sensationalized and heavily misunderstood. From the effect of trauma on victims and how behaviors can vary, to the methods used by groomers to lure victims, types of grooming and difficulty involving the law.
I think the reason grooming *might* (tho, take me with a grain of salt) has become prevalent, specifically among youtubers, is the same reason why a lot of cases of CSA happen: power.
Most youtubers are in a position of power: they have a relatively large and loyal following; their audience is mostly comprised young kids/adolescents/adults (you'd have a hard time finding many old people using youtube regularly), easily impressionable; they may have something in their favor such as looks, material possessions, charisma, a charitable persona or have done many good deeds; often have connections with other concent creators of similar size and community; their opinions are perceived as having more weight than the average person's, etc.
Having any power in any situation, whether socially, culturally, religiously, economically, materially, mentally, etc. can lead to cases of abuse arousing if it goes unchecked. Unfortunately, many youtubers believe themselves to be above the law or untouchable, sometimes (but not always, there are many reasons why situations aren't brought to light until much later) being fostered by like-minded people, which leads to situations of improper conduct and terrible crimes being covered-up for years.
And from the side of the victim(s), while anyone regardless of their condition can be groomed, there might be specific situations that make someone more vulnerable. For example, having problems at home, being a prior victim of abuse or negligence, lack of parental figures or guardians, bullying, having to hide something from others, lack of healthy relationships, death of a family member or important figure, among other things, can lead to someone becoming a victim of grooming. And speaking out about it can be incredibly hard, not only cause trauma fragments the memory and makes you act differently, but because the topic is still very taboo, you're subjecting yourself to public scrutiny.
There's still a very big culture of shaming victims for speaking out against their perpetrators, not only coming from society at large, but from those who are supposed to protect you: parents, family members, teachers, medical professionals, police, etc. Not only that, but the lack of sufficient resources/education in cases makes it so no one knows how to react or what to do. To these day, many kids are not properly taught how to navigate the internet safely or have safe, curated spaces specifically for them. Parents can't be bothered to check what their kids are doing and let them have unlimited access (although, I've fortunately seen more powers be aware of the potential risks and taking preventive measures to ensure the safety of their children, but many still don't and won't admit fault if something happens to their kid(s))
I say all of this as someone who was a victim of online grooming for many years, from an early age. Only until very recently have I gotten the courage to talk about what happened to me. It sickens me when I hear cases of young girls/boys being groomed by a well established, well respected member of the YT coomunity. I would never wish the experience upon anyone else, it absolutely breaks you,
There needs to be more awareness and education about cases, effects and ways to help victims of grooming, sexual harassment, sexual abuse and rape. We need more avenues for them to speak about their experiences without getting shit on or invalidated. Society not only needs to stop excusing these behaviors (e.g.: 'boys will be boys', 'women shouldn't dress 'provocatively'', 'boys enjoy 'getting' raped', 'girls are 'asking' for it', 'they should've spoken sooner'), but find ways to reduce the likelihood on them even happening in the first place.
There's still a very long way to go, honestly. Hoping things will change for the better in the future and I hope youtubers stop inappropiately interacting with their fanbases, especially if they're young.
