This Is Why The terrifying online community targeting kids
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Jan 29, 2026 Adele Robinson, an investigative journalist who exposed 'The Com', guides listeners through a disturbing online ecosystem preying on young people. She breaks down the network's subgroups, recruitment tactics and how platforms and moderation struggles let harm move from chat to real life. The conversation highlights warning signs for families and the challenges facing law enforcement.
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Loose But Dangerous Online Ecosystem
- The COM is a loose ecosystem of online groups, mainly children and young adults aged 11–25, targeting vulnerable kids worldwide.
- It spans extreme abuse, sexual exploitation, self-harm encouragement, terrorism and financial extortion clustered into subgroups like sadism, terror and finance.
Targeting Vulnerability Intentionally
- The COM deliberately targets vulnerable communities and even creates fake support groups for eating disorders, neurodiversity and LGBTQ+ forums.
- Victims and offenders can blur into each other as some victims later become perpetrators within the network.
Desensitisation As A Grooming Tool
- The group uses desensitisation by flooding victims with extreme gore and sexual abuse content to normalise harm.
- That normalisation is designed to push vulnerable children into creating extreme content themselves.