The Growing Threat of Online Extremist Groups to Youth

The National Crime Agency of Britain has raised serious concerns about the growing threat that online groups pose to young people, warning of a significant increase in activities that encourage sharing of sadistic and misogynistic materials, as well as coercing others into harmful behaviors like sexual abuse, self-harm, and violence.

The Agency, which tackles serious and organized crime in Britain, highlighted a sixfold rise in reports related to these threats from online groups between 2022 and 2024. Director General Graeme Biggar emphasized the gravitational pull of these groups towards young individuals, who are collaborating en masse to cause or provoke severe harm.

Contrary to common perception, these groups do not operate in obscurity but thrive on the same online platforms that young people use daily. The warning specifically points to young girls being groomed to harm themselves, with some even being encouraged towards suicide attempts.

While adults are involved, the Agency is particularly concerned about teenage boys, who are often the ones sharing sadistic and misogynistic content, targeting girls as young as 11. Known as “Com” networks, these platforms facilitate the exchange of extreme violence images, child sexual abuse, and exert pressure to harm oneself, siblings, or pets.

Members of such networks, predominantly young men, are driven by a desire for status, power, and possibly sexual gratification, according to the report. This has resulted in a concerning tendency among some, especially the younger populace, to lean towards extreme violence.

Globally, the exchange of millions of messages related to sexual and physical abuse has been noted, with the example cited of Cameron Finnigan, a British teen jailed for being part of an online Satanist group that coerced minors into filming self-harm, violence, and sexual abuse via the Telegram app.

Mr. Biggar and Jess Phillips, a minister responsible for tackling violence against women and girls, both emphasized the need for parents to engage regularly with their children about their online activities. Ms. Phillips also called on technology companies to ensure the safety of their platforms for children and to help protect the most vulnerable from predators.

In its latest survey, the Agency focused on the role of technology and online platforms in crimes such as fraud, extremism, and sexual abuse. They report a 6% increase in web pages containing indecent images of children in 2024, with a significant portion being self-generated, highlighting the extent of manipulation and consent issues in these online harms.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/25/world/europe/online-harm-teens-risk-uk.html