Dutch kids active in online chat groups grooming children to commit violence, sex abuse

At least 25 Dutch children are active in online chat groups that incite children to commit violence and sexual abuse, NRC reports based on research. According to the newspaper, vulnerable children are approached through gaming platforms like Minecraft and Roblox and then extorted to commit crimes. The groups are reportedly part of an international movement members call “Com,” short for community.

With the help of experts, NRC mapped the “Com” in the Nehterlands. Using public sources, it identified 25 Dutch girls and boys participating in this international movement, which the FBI and Interpol are investigating. Several of the Dutch kids created or led chat groups.

Generally, the Com movement targets children between the ages of 8 and 17. The primary targets are kids from minorities and the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as children with mental health issues.

The Com convinces children to share nude images or sensitive private information about themselves, and uses that to pressure victims into committing increasingly extreme acts. The newspaper reviewed dozens of videos that children shared in the chat groups of assaults they have committed. This includes videos and photos of animal abuse, child sex abuse, and self-harm. There are also videos of people being incited to suicide or murder, the newspaper wrote. According ot NRC, an online research group verified the images’ authenticity.

According to the newspaper, at least 23 people have been arrested internationally in recent years for involvement in this extremist movement. The FBI and Interpol both have investigations ongoing against the movement.

The Dutch think tank The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS) warned about this form of digital extremism in a report titled “From Meme to Murder,” published over the weekend. The HCSS described the motivation of groups like the Com as “nihilistic violent extremism.” According to the researchers, “social disruption is neither the primary goal nor the core of the ideology,” but members thrive on a “nihilistic pleasure in sadism.”

The police told NRC that they are taking signals of this movement seriously and urged people to “be alert to any suspicions or signs of this.”