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Com Groups: What Parents Need to Know
Keeping children Safe from Harmful Online Communities
Keeping Children Safe from Harmful Online Communities
The internet can be a positive place for children and young people to learn, socialise and connect with others. However, some online communities pose serious risks to children’s safety and wellbeing.
One emerging threat is the growth of online networks known as Com Groups or Com Networks. The National Crime Agency (NCA) has identified these groups as being linked to child sexual abuse, exploitation, coercion, self-harm, violence, cybercrime and other serious criminal activity. Members often compete with each other to gain status and recognition by causing harm to others.
What Are Com Groups?
Com Groups are online networks that operate across social media platforms, messaging apps, gaming communities and private chat groups. While they may initially appear to be friendship groups or communities centred around shared interests, they can quickly become environments where harmful and abusive behaviour is encouraged and celebrated.
These groups target children and young people through grooming, manipulation, coercion and blackmail. Members may seek to control victims, collect compromising material and pressure them into carrying out harmful acts.
Sadistic online harm groups putting people at unprecedented risk, warns the NCA
The National Crime Agency (NCA) warned in March 2025, that: online “Com Groups” are creating an unprecedented risk to children and young people. These groups use grooming, coercion, blackmail and manipulation to pressure victims into harmful acts, including self-harm, sharing sexual images, sexual abuse, cybercrime and even suicide-related behaviours. Many offenders target vulnerable young people online and compete with one another to cause the greatest harm in order to gain status within these networks.”
The NCA reported that these groups are growing in scale and sophistication, making it essential for parents, carers and safeguarding professionals to recognise the warning signs and seek support if they have concerns about a child.
These groups are not lurking on the dark web, they exist in the same online world and platforms young people use on a daily basis. It is especially concerning to see the impact this is having on young girls who are often groomed into hurting themselves and in some cases, even encouraged to attempt suicide.
Graeme Biggar, NCA Director GeneralWhat Might Children Be Pressured to Do?
Members of Com Groups often gain status by persuading, manipulating or coercing others into carrying out harmful acts.
Children and young people may be pressured to:
- Self-harm or injure themselves.
- Record or livestream acts of self-harm.
- Share intimate or sexual images.
- Create indecent images of themselves.
- Engage in sexual activity with or sexually harm other young people.
- Make hoax calls to emergency services.
- Harass, threaten or intimidate others online.
- Participate in cybercrime activities such as hacking or stealing accounts.
- Carry out dangerous challenges or stunts.
- Damage property or engage in criminal behaviour.
- Attempt suicide or engage in life-threatening behaviours.
Offenders will record, save or distribute evidence of these acts in order to humiliate, blackmail or further control victims. Young people can feel trapped, frightened or ashamed, making it difficult for them to seek help
How Do Children Become Involved?
Children and Young people may encounter members of Com Groups through:
- Social media platforms
- Online gaming communities
- Discord servers
- Telegram groups
- Group chats
- Online forums
- Mental health and support communities
Offenders will spend time gaining a young person’s trust before introducing harmful behaviours or requests. They may target children and young people who are feeling isolated, lonely, anxious, struggling with their mental health or looking for friendship and acceptance.
Warning Signs for Parents and Carers
Excessive secrecy about online activity
Spending hours online
Using multiple social media accounts or hidden apps
Sudden changes in mood or behaviour
Withdrawal from family and friends
Increased anxiety, distress and low mood
Unexplained injuries and signs of self-harm
Unexpected gifts, or money from online contacts
Panic if unable to access devices
Talking about online friends they have never met
Sharing or discussing violent, disturbing or sexual content
Unwilling to share electronic devices, passwords or accounts
How to Talk to Your Child
Open, honest conversations are the best ways to help keep children safe online.
Try to:
- Stay calm and avoid judgement.
- Show interest in the apps, games and platforms they use.
- Talk regularly about online experiences.
- Ask open questions about who they interact with online.
- Encourage them to come to you if something worries them.
- Remind them that nobody has the right to pressure them into doing something that makes them uncomfortable.
- Understand that to them, the threats are real and very scary
- Reassure them that they will not get into trouble for asking for help.
Children are more likely to disclose concerns when they feel listened to, supported and believed.
When to Seek Help
Do seek immediate support if your child:
- Has been asked to self-harm or record self-harm.
- Has disclosed being blackmailed online.
- Is being pressured to share intimate images.
- Has been encouraged to harm another child or young person.
- Is receiving threats from online contacts.
- Appears fearful of disconnecting from online groups.
- Expresses suicidal thoughts or feelings.
If a child is at immediate risk of harm, call 999.
What to Do If You Are Concerned
Preserve Evidence
If possible:
- Take screenshots of messages, profiles and conversations.
- Save usernames, account details and links.
- Keep records of any threats, requests or demands.
- Avoid deleting evidence before speaking to police or safeguarding professionals.
- Report Concerns
How to Report Concerns
You can seek advice or report concerns through:
Your local police force
Your child’s school safeguarding lead
Children’s Services
CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command)
How Safeline Can Help
Safeline provides specialist support for children, young people and adults affected by sexual abuse, exploitation and trauma.
If you are concerned that your child has experienced online grooming, sexual exploitation, image-based abuse, coercion or other forms of online harm, Safeline can help you understand your options and access appropriate support.
Safeline’s Prevention and Early Intervention Team are working with national partners to educate and raise awareness about Com Groups
Vocabulary and Slang Terms
Cutsigns or Fansigns
Skin lacerations depicting numbers, symbols, initials, usernames or group names
Blood Signs
Numbers, letters or symbols written in blood
Swatting
Deceiving the 999 despatch system to send the police response to a location.
Doxing
Publicly revealing or threatening to reveal private information to harass a victim