In brief
Reports indicate a substantial increase in incidents involving online gangs that manipulate and exploit teenagers, particularly focusing on harmful behaviors and misogynistic attitudes.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) in the UK has issued a grave warning regarding the emerging threat posed by online gangs that deliberately target teenagers with sadistic and misogynistic content. In its latest crime trends assessment, the agency highlighted a shocking sixfold increase in incidents related to these groups between 2022 and 2024, raising alarm over the grooming and blackmailing of young individuals."Young people are being drawn into these sadistic and violent online gangs, where they are collaborating at scale to inflict, or incite others to commit, serious harm," warned Graeme Biggar, Director General of the NCA. He emphasized that these groups operate openly within mainstream social media platforms, challenging the misconception that they only reside on the dark web.The NCA reports that adolescent boys have become key participants in these communities, often using their influence to target girls as young as 11, grooming them into dangerous behavior such as self-harm and suicide attempts. The agency asserts that the vulnerability of these teens is being exploited, creating a pressing need for increased awareness and preventative measures to safeguard young people from this disturbing trend.
