Home / Crime and Justice / UK Charity Warns: Online 'Com' Targets Kids for Abuse
UK Charity Warns: Online 'Com' Targets Kids for Abuse
30 Jan
Summary
- A UK charity issued a public warning about the 'Com' network's exploitation of children.
- The Com network targets vulnerable youth for sexual abuse, self-harm, and suicide.
- Global governments and tech firms are urged to coordinate a response to this threat.
A leading UK online safety charity has issued a critical public warning regarding the 'Com' network, an online ecosystem engaged in extreme exploitation, violence, and sexual abuse targeting vulnerable children. The Molly Rose Foundation (MRF) highlighted the chilling effectiveness of these groups in preying on children's vulnerabilities, coercing them through gaming and messaging platforms into acts of self-harm, livestreamed abuse, or even suicide.
The Com, a loosely connected global network of teenagers and young adults, shares interests in online gore, illegal sexual content, gaming, and meme culture, often gathering on platforms like Discord and Telegram. Their activities have been classified by law enforcement as "nihilistic violent extremism" and "sadistic (online) exploitation." The threat posed by the Com encompasses child sexual exploitation, extortion, self-harm promotion, and severe harassment, with particular concentrations found in the US, Russia, and Brazil.
The report details horrific incidents, including a case where a mentally vulnerable adult was manipulated into a fatal livestreamed act. Female victims are frequently targeted for sexual violence, while male victims face psychological harm and encouragement towards suicide. The MRF stresses the urgent need for a comprehensive, coordinated global response from governments, regulators, law enforcement, and technology companies to shut down these networks and protect at-risk children.
