- Report by global trust and safety intelligence group Resolver, in partnership with Molly Rose Foundation, exposes disturbing scale and nature of “Com networks”
- Girls being coerced into sexual abuse, extreme violence, self-harm and suicide
- Roundtable sees Government, law enforcement and child safety experts come together in bid to tackle pervasive threats to children
Molly Rose Foundation has issued a “public warning” about the prevalence and growth of online networks that coerce girls into sexual abuse, acts of violence, self-harm and the encouragement of suicide.
A groundbreaking new report by Resolver in partnership with Molly Rose Foundation finds so-called Com networks are recruiting young victims and coercing them to become perpetrators of violence and abuse.
Resolver is a trust and safety organisation and has issued its first-of-its kind intelligence briefing due to the severe nature of the threats to children caused by Com networks.
Com networks are a global online ecosystem associated with extreme forms of cyberbullying, exploitation, violence, crime and abuse. Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the National Crime Agency and FBI, have voiced concerns about the risks they pose to children.
‘Weaponised Loneliness: a Critical Harm Intelligence Briefing’ uncovers the complex nature of harm perpetrated by these groups, which have perverse power dynamics but no formal structures or fixed ideologies and cross national borders.
It highlights how victims are young people who are targeted on a range of online platforms – including gaming platforms, livestreams and direct messaging apps, not just social networks.
The report is the most in depth public analysis of Com networks to date and shows that children often at heightened vulnerability are being targeted, including those with adverse childhood experiences, are neurodiverse or feel excluded due to racial, cultural or LGBTQ+ identity.
Young people are often targeted for sexual abuse, into acts of offline violence and self-harm and then encouraged to commit acts against others, including the encouragement of suicide.
The report highlights how the nature of the threat demands an urgent child protection response. It was launched at a roundtable event yesterday attended by law enforcement, regulators, online safety and child protection charities and the Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips.
Because of the hybrid nature of the threat the report encourages tech platforms, regulators, law enforcement and legislators to be more joined-up and not treat the harms in siloes.
It also recommends the need for timely intervention and information sharing to protect children and act before harm materialises, as well as effective signposting to online support for potential victims.
Molly Rose Foundation are calling on the Government to strengthen and expand the Online Safety Act to address these disturbing new threats – warning that the current design and operation of regulation is poorly suited to address the threat posed by Com groups.
We also want more robust and concerted action by Ofcom to recognise and understand the impact of Com groups and compel tech companies to act to disrupt them.
Andy Burrows, Chief Executive of Molly Rose Foundation, said: “The growing threat posed by Com networks is the most chilling and urgent threats to children online today and it requires a swift and comprehensive response.
“These groups prey on children’s vulnerabilities to coerce and groom girls on gaming and messaging platforms, inflicting appalling harm and cruelty including acts of self-harm, livestreamed abuse or even suicide.
“The prevalence of this threat requires robust and coordinated action from Government, law enforcement, regulators and tech platforms, and it highlights the need to aggressively respond to online risks.
Jess Phillips, Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, said: “I want to thank the Molly Rose Foundation for their unwavering commitment to protecting young people online and for raising awareness about these highly dangerous networks.
“No society that calls itself civilised can continue to tolerate an online world where children are tortured, exploited and coerced into unthinkable harm.
“The Home Office funds an undercover network of online officers which last year helped to safeguard 1,748 children from child sexual abuse and arrest 1,797 perpetrators. We also recently committed in our VAWG strategy to set up a similar network to protect women of all ages online.
“We will use every power we have to hunt down the perpetrators, shut these disgusting networks down, and protect every child at risk.”
Molly Rose Foundation are calling for malign activity relating to suicide and self-harm offences online to be made a national priority for policing in a similar way to child sexual abuse and VAWG.
We also urge the Crown Prosecution Service to issue guidance to support police to ensure young victims of Com groups are not treated as perpetrators.
If you’re struggling just text MRF to 85258 so you can speak to a trained volunteer from Shout, the UK’s Crisis Text Line service.
