The Molly Rose Foundation (MRF), set up by the family of schoolgirl Molly Russell, has warned of a “chilling and urgent threat” to young people on platforms other than just social media.
Young people are being targeted by a complex network of online harms on gaming platforms, livestreams and chat rooms, a grim report has revealed.
The Molly Rose Foundation (MRF), set up by the family of schoolgirl Molly Russell, has warned of a “chilling and urgent threat” to young people on platforms other than just social media.
Molly Russell took her own life at age 14 after being bombarded with harmful content on social media.
Her dad Ian is a fierce opponent of social media ban for under 16s as he fears a blanket ban could push youngsters into other darker spaces online and fail to hold tech firms to account.
The MRF has partnered with safety organisation Resolver, who last night launched a new report exploring so-called Com networks that are abusing young victims, as well as coercing them to become perpetrators of violence and abuse.
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Com networks are a global online ecosystem associated with extreme forms of cyberbullying, exploitation, violence, crime and abuse, the MRF said. Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the National Crime Agency and FBI, have voiced concerns about the risks they pose to children.
The networks often target youngsters for sexual abuse, as well as urge them into offline violence and self-harm. They also coerce them to commit acts against others, including the encouragement of suicide.
One example in Resolver’s report details how a teenage girl was groomed into sending child sexual abuse material in a “Sadism Com chat room” before herself being encouraged to use racist slurs and groom other victims into suicide and self-harm.
The MRF is 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.
Andy Burrows, chief executive of MRF, 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, safeguarding minister, who yesterday attended a roundtable on Resolver’s report, said: “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 will use every power we have to hunt down the perpetrators, shut these disgusting networks down, and protect every child at risk.”
NCA Deputy Director Helen Rance said: “The NCA warned last year that we are seeing a significant rise in teenage boys joining online communities that only exist to engage in criminality and cause harm.
“These communities commit a range of criminality, from cybercrimes and cyber-enabled fraud and grooming and coercing victims to physically harm or sexually abuse themselves.
“They work across international borders and multiple online channels, from messaging apps and forums to gaming platforms, to conduct their crimes. The NCA is coordinating the response to online harm networks in the UK.”
The Government is currently consulting on a package of measures to keep kids safer online, including a social media ban for under 16s, app restrictions or curfews.