Grooming (when an adult approaches a child for sexual content) has skyrocketed during the lockdowns. And reports of online grooming have continued to rise at Child Focus, the Belgian Center for Missing and Sexually Exploited Children. Last year alone they handled 43 individual grooming cases. Unfortunately, that’s just the tip of the iceberg, since a lot of children don’t even dare to file a report. Child Focus decided it’s time to raise awareness and educate kids from 8 to 14 years old about this serious matter. But to reach this tough target audience, a relevant solution was needed.

Today, the playground isn't just physical anymore. It’s also digital. Adults with bad intentions are finding their way into this world as well. Most kids aren't aware of the manipulative techniques of these online groomers - adults who approach children for sexual contact. That's why Child Focus created OK Groomer: a virtual playground on Roblox. Through a series of mini-games, kids learn how to outplay online predators. And with each lesson learned, players earn coins that they exchange for groomer repelling skins: the ultimate proof meant to keep online predators away.

With the OK Groomer campaign, Child Focus decided to tackle the problem where it occurred: in online games. But this also meant we had to communicate with our message of online safety to children via the relevant channels in order to garner PR attention. That’s why we decided to communicate via influencers (YouTube gamer, Twitch streamers, social influencers…), schools and parents.

We created a visually appealing and interactive virtual world, OK Groomer, with a playful color palette and custom-designed elements. Our design principles were based on Roblox worlds and incorporated features such as custom badges and easter eggs. The game was specifically targeted towards children to educate them about the dangers of online grooming, with a focus on encouraging parents to play the game with their children. Additionally, OK Groomer has been implemented as an educational tool in schools throughout Belgium, taking advantage of the fact that nearly all classrooms have devices that support Roblox.

To launch the game, we held a press conference on Twitch that was live in the game, and we promoted the game through social media and influencers. The game was well received and garnered significant PR attention, further spreading awareness of the dangers of online grooming.

Our goal was to create a unique and engaging virtual world that would teach children about the dangers of grooming and provide them with the tools to handle such situations. By utilizing a popular digital platform and incorporating design principles that appealed to young players, we were able to successfully engage our target audience and promote online safety.

OK Groomer gained the attention of all major news outlets in Belgium, with coverage on national radio, television, major newspapers and websites and both national and international blogs. It was featured in the most popular mainstream late-night show. As a result, it became a much talked about topic on social media. But the campaign's impact extended far beyond its 14 million impressions (more than Belgium’s 11 million inhabitants) and €150.000 in earned media. It also became an educative tool in schools, teaching thousands of children about online predators.