Dutch children are involved in online chat groups aimed at extortion, sexual abuse and violence, both as victims and perpetrators, the NRC reported.

The groups are part of The Com, which stands for Community and comprises a number of interconnected criminal networks.

The FBI, Interpol, and Europol have had the movement in their sights for several years, and according to the FBI, it is “a rising threat”. The organisation has opened 250 investigations connected with The Com.

With the help of experts, the NRC identified at least 25 Dutch children who have engaged in criminal activity via Extort Com.

Members are recruited via game sites such as Minecraft and Roblox, the NRC said, and several Dutch children have set up chat groups or moderate them, the paper said.

Victims are approached via social media, where they are groomed and then persuaded to contribute sexual content. They are then blackmailed into committing more extreme acts.

Social isolation

The children, typically aged between 11 and 17, are often part of a minority group, the LGBTQ community, or struggling with mental problems. They are encouraged to share images in which they perform acts of violence against animals, other children, or themselves. The paper also saw footage in which people were allegedly encouraged to kill themselves or others.

A recent report by the Dutch think tank HCSS has also warned against the spread of this type of digital extremism among teens.

“The groups seem to fulfil the need of socially isolated teenagers for identity, status, recognition and a view of the world,” HCSS researcher Gerben Bakker told the paper. They are also desensitised through frequent exposure to extremely violent content, he said.

“Children are far too young to deal with the abject contamination with these types of images. Their brain has not reached maturity and they see traumatic images which will stay with them for life,” he said.

According to chair of online terrorist and child pornography material monitoring authority ATKM Arda Gerkens, coordinated action is needed to stop children falling victim to digital predators.

“The members are extremely good at hooking children, particularly the most vulnerable ones. Many people don’t know how easy it is for their children to come into contact with them,” she said.

Since 2021, some 23 people have been arrested for participating in The Com, including in Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy. In France, a 20-year-old was arrested at the weekend who had been extorting 50 minors over videos containing child pornography, and cruelty and abuse of animals.