Exclusive:Why parents need to learn about dark reality of online groups targeting kids & encouraging sadistic self-harm
“This is almost like gamification of violence whereby suspect groups will score points for whatever they are able to control the victim to do”
“Malicious” online networks of children aged between 11 and 17 earn points for subjecting vulnerable girls to blackmail, sexual abuse and by encouraging self-harm, a South Yorkshire Police detective has warned.
The warning comes as 18-year-old Elijah Palmer received a sentence of eight years, eight months today (Thursday, June 18, 2026), after becoming the first person investigated by South Yorkshire Police for the offence of encouraging or assisting serious self-harm by another.
Judge Peter Hampton sentenced Palmer to four years, eight months in a young offenders’ institute, and in a bid to protect the public, handed him an extended licence period of four years after judging him to be a dangerous offender.
Palmer, of Badger Close, Woodhouse, Sheffield, was convicted as part of new legislation from the Online Safety Act 2023, under which the first prosecutions are now beginning to be heard at courts across the country.
He was also sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court for offences including perverting the course of justice, making indecent photographs of a child and possessing extreme pornography.
The hearing heard that Palmer was part of a “sextortion and sadomasochistic” online network known as a “com” group, whose members deliberately target vulnerable victims to extort them for “content” to share with other members.”
Notoreity often sort by com group members
Speaking ahead of Palmer being sentenced, Detective Chief Inspector Scott Harrison, detailed the concerning practices sometimes encouraged by so-called “com” groups - and the notoriety often sought by members.
DCI Harrison, of South Yorkshire Police’s Protecting Vulnerable People Governance team, explained: “So a com group is a network, so it's a network of networks whereby com is really short for communities and malicious engagement.
“Some com groups would be more inclined to find victims for sexual abuse material. Some could be for encouraging self-harm, almost sadistic. Others could be for blackmail, for money. Some com groups would be all three.
“What we were very quickly able to establish through the language that was used and some of the communications that we found as part of the evidence in the case is that the suspect was liaising using com groups as almost like an identity to then encourage the victim to self-harm and also send sexual abuse material to them.”
DCI Harrison revealed that the type of self-harm encouraged by such groups can involve the “cutting of a member’s username into the body of their victim.”
When asked about the possible motivations of members, DCI Harrison said the “bigger picture” emerging from some of the com networks is centred around “notoriety.”
“So this is almost like gamification of violence whereby suspect groups will score points for whatever they are able to control the victim to do and these groups will then be in competition with other groups in relation to who can actually cause the most harm.”
Victims and perpetrators usually aged between 11 and 17-years-old
In addition, com group members do, in some cases, work together to identify and seek out potential victims.
“Victims are often vulnerable in these cases. They're often selected by the com groups for their vulnerabilities,” the detective said.
“We often see the com groups may well enter and access positions online where children are sharing views about their vulnerabilities and these com groups will then go and infiltrate those groups to gain victims and then take those conversations away from the place in which they first met them online to areas and other apps where they'll then discuss things on a one-on-one basis.”
DCI Harrison revealed the age range of both perpetrators and victims is typically between 11 and 17-years-old.
”Unfortunately this is children. So we're talking between the ages of 11 to 17 is what we're seeing within our intelligence profile. This is both victim and suspect,” the DCI said.
“What we're seeing generally though is that it's mainly boys that are suspects. It can be females, but we're seeing that the large majority of victims are actually females.”
Child suspect may present entirely differently online
He said investigators have seen the same pattern of loneliness, isolation, people living their lives online and school avoidance for many com group members.
“What we're often finding with these types of investigations is that when you speak to the parents of the suspects, they are seeing a side to their child that they've never seen before,” he said.
“So the way that a child suspect may operate online is completely different to the way that they may present in normal life.”
He shared his advice for parents and guardians, explaining that having a “curiosity” about what a child is doing online is key.
DCI Harrison said: “Parents are key to this in terms of having that curiosity about what your child is doing online, who are they speaking to, what apps are they using?
“There are many controls that parents can use, restriction controls on apps. Obviously, deviating away from apps that offer end-to-end encryption or message deleting functions.
“But also talk to your child in relation to the types of people that they are talking to online and what they are saying.
“That's really, really key because the child is never to blame for this. This is generally always going to be the suspect that is encouraging this type of behaviour for the victim. So that gaining of trust and confidence I think in that relationship so that your parent from a parent's point of view you're able to have those conversations with the child.
“I think what's really important to point out is that just like in the community, there's places where you might not necessarily want your child to go at night.
“There's quite necessarily going to be the same sort of influence online as well.”
With both perpertrators and victims living in jurisdictions located across the world, investigating the criminal behaviours of com group members can be complex.
DCI Harrison said: “So these cases are really, really complex for all law enforcement to investigate.
“Generally, transnational. So, some of the areas where we would rely upon to get evidence is on platforms that are hosted in other countries.
“Quite often, victims are spread all around the world and therefore, gaining of evidence to actually be able to present to the court the full picture can take some time.
“Also, because of the vulnerabilities, it can take some time working with partners with the victims to be able to gain their trust and their confidence and for them to be brave enough to actually then tell us what's actually happened.
“So these investigations are extremely complex and will take time to investigate for law enforcement.”