Looking out for Lottie: Child Sexual Exploitation

The prevalence of CSE, cyber-bullying and online grooming are some of society’s biggest challenges. In response to this, the University of Kent’s Centre for Child Protection (in partnership with Kent Police and Kent County Council and NHS Kent Surrey and Sussex) has developed two interactive serious game simulations - ‘Zak’ and 'Looking out for Lottie' for use by professionals and young people. 'Looking out for Lottie' is a serious game simulation with versions designed for both professionals and young people, identifying how young people are groomed online for sexual exploitation. The simulation looks in depth at CSE, cyber-bullying and online grooming, gaining insight into grooming behaviour, how to spot it on different social media and, vitally, how to help victims protect themselves. After using the tool professionals can use Lottie for direct work with young people: to learn about grooming methods via social media in a real-life ‘Facebook’'Twitter' 'Instagram' 'You tube' style scenario and resource. By understanding the behaviours and implications of the characters, young people learn how to keep themselves and their friends safe on social media.