Investigation exposes online 'com' network targeting vulnerable children

A six-month investigation has exposed a violent and sadistic online network known as the com, which targets vulnerable children and young people and coerces them into harming themselves and others. Some of the acts are live streamed for an audience. The network is an abbreviation of "community" and operates as decentralised groups across popular children's gaming and social media platforms.

The investigation found that the com is not hidden in an obscure corner of the internet. It moves between mainstream apps, websites, and gaming platforms where millions of children gather. Members are often boys and men aged 11 to 25, though girls and other vulnerable young people are also involved. They mainly target girls, but not exclusively.

The methods are coercive and sadistic. Members target children's vulnerabilities, including through mental illness or eating disorder forums. They groom victims over months, become demanding, then use intimate images and personal details to blackmail and control them. One British victim, identified only as Emily, described how a contact changed after four to five months, sent her a screenshot of information he held, including intimate pictures, schools she had attended, and where she lived, and used it to control her. Her voice was reconstructed in the investigation.

The harm is not confined to online spaces. Victims are coerced into self-harm, suicide, and increasingly violent acts against themselves and other people, including siblings and pets. The investigation says members trade this content as a social currency. The worse the act, the higher their status within the groups. There is no single ideology driving them; the motive is violence for violence's sake and harm for harm's sake.

The scale is significant. The UK's National Crime Agency has received 1,476 referrals of suspected online sadistic abuse or com activity since October 2025. Nearly a third of those were recorded after the investigation's production finished in July. The agency is receiving an average of 35 new cases a week. Every police force in the UK is dealing with some element of com activity, and the network is a global issue across most continents. The investigation stressed that the number of members is small on a worldwide scale, but the level of harm inflicted on children is severe.

Parents and families often do not realise what is happening. Signs can look like normal adolescent behaviour or online addiction, such as spending more time online, staying up all hours, and becoming angry when devices are taken away. A distinguishing sign is self-harm that includes symbols, numbers, letters, or usernames and aliases of com members. The investigation advised parents to be aware of grooming signs and to keep an open dialogue with their children. It also noted that banning under-16s from social media may not be a full answer because children may find ways around restrictions.

Former safeguarding minister Jess Phillips said the issue is about control and coercion of children, with nude images used to blackmail and extort them. She said the government is preparing legislation to force tech companies to make it impossible for anyone under 18 to take, view, or send nude images. She argued that the technology already exists and that Apple and Google, which run most devices, need to implement age verification and allow adults to opt out of image blocking. She criticised tech companies for spending on projects such as driverless cars and "pervy glasses" while child safety measures lag, and said the government will force them to act if they do not.

The investigation's documentary is available on YouTube and is due to air at 9pm. Emily encouraged other victims to speak out, saying it is the only way to take back power from those who manipulate them.