According to the F.B.I., over 50 percent of the victims of online sexual exploitation are between the ages of 12 and 15. Children between the ages of 12 and 15 are especially susceptible to be groomed or manipulated by adults they meet online. There are an estimated 500,000 online predators active each day. Statistics About Grooming and Online Predators In the most serious cases, this can lead to real life encounters. Even on websites geared towards children and young adults, there are often adult online predators who look to interact with children. Young people use popular social media sites to stay in touch with their friends and to meet new people. The Internet has expanded the way that young people communicate and interact with their peers. There are a variety of dangers lurking online that affect minors in a number of different ways.