From game chat to blackmail: How violent networks target children

Malta’s courts are hearing a case involving a 15-year-old boy suspected of links to violent online networks, where children are lured into causing harm to self and others.

In June, the boy’s lawyers sought an urgent order to end his isolation within Malta’s juvenile prison system. Magistrate Yana Micallef Stafrace rejected the application, agreeing with prosecutors that it was filed under the wrong Criminal Code provision. The ruling addressed procedure, not the substance of his treatment complaints.

The case captured attention because the boy’s parents went public, claiming their son was subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment. For them, what the boy did was the result of youthful folly for which he was expected to pay. But for the police, what the boy did stemmed from something more sinister—violent online networks where children are preyed upon.

Police Inspector Zachary Zammit of the Counter-terrorism Unit describes other interventions that did not reach court, while saying local numbers were lower than those encountered by some overseas counterparts.

Popular phrases, familiar influencers and whatever is trending at the time help people from violent online networks attract children’s attention.

Zammit explains how an approach can begin with language children already recognise.

“It often comes down to the way they speak, or perhaps they latch onto certain trends, like how it’s considered ‘cool’ to mock the way others talk. That is their entry point; they keep a close eye on what is trending, being hyper-aware of current trends, and that is how they attract attention and the spotlight,” he says.

The demands can involve self-harm or suicide. They can then circulate recordings of harm within a group as proof, boosting the credibility of the person responsible (File photo)

In one grooming pattern he outlines, contact begins inside a game. Someone gets to know a child, then tries to move the conversation to a more private platform, such as Telegram or Discord. There, they seek sensitive photographs or videos to use for blackmail.

The demands can involve self-harm or suicide. They can then circulate recordings of harm within a group as proof, boosting the credibility of the person responsible.

A photograph becomes leverage

Asked what enables these approaches to happen within games, Zammit points to chat, particularly where moderation is weak. His concern is how children can be contacted and exploited through those conversations, more than whether the game itself contains violence.

“I think chat is one of the biggest factors, more than the content of the game itself. That’s why, in fact, I’m not saying games cause this,” he says.

Zammit says these networks target anyone, but children facing bullying, difficulties at home or other challenges may be especially receptive to their attention as they seek belonging online. Eating disorders are another vulnerability.

Being reserved, he explains, is not necessarily a personality trait, but it may reflect what is happening in a child’s life.

Once someone has sensitive material, the demands can extend beyond what the child must do on their own. The network may task them with approaching another person and doing the same thing. “There's also the issue that some of the people who end up doing this started out as victims themselves,” Zammit says.

What the network gets out of it

764 is a group within The Com, a wider online network short for The Community. Europol’s Project COMPASS links 764 particularly to grooming, recruitment and violence.

The wider Com comprises interconnected groups involved in hacking, theft, extortion, child sexual abuse material and physical violence, according to the American FBI. Participants may belong to multiple groups, with differing interests.

The wider Com comprises interconnected groups involved in hacking, theft, extortion, child sexual abuse material and physical violence, according to the American FBI. Participants may belong to multiple groups, with differing interests.

Europol’s 2026 Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment says offenders approach children on gaming platforms and online spaces where young people share personal difficulties. They use sensitive information or images to demand sexual material or violent recordings. Moving between platforms and encrypted channels makes these networks harder to investigate.

For some, circulating the abuse brings standing among other participants. Canadian police describe images and videos being shared to gain notoriety within the network.

Zammit compares this to gaming’s point systems. In some groups, acts of harm can serve as entry requirements, while recordings are shared to demonstrate what someone has done and gain credibility within the hierarchy or wider group.

He uses nihilist violent extremism— a desire to cause chaos and destroy society—as an umbrella term.

Motives vary, and not everyone in violent online networks is driven by nihilistic violent extremism. Others seek sexual gratification, status or belonging.

Zammit describes no single organisation with fixed membership. Smaller groups can form around the same name, with different people involved.

That causes headaches to investigators, who have to examine participation in groups, terminology and determine how people join. The investigation must establish the nature of the connection.

What police can see

The unit assesses people who may warrant attention, considering factors such as violent history, weapon access and concerning behaviour, within legal limits. Zammit stresses that being a subject of interest does not mean someone is a terrorist.

Concerns may also come through schools and social welfare services. School staff can report unusual behaviour, allowing police to decide whether checks or intervention are needed, Zammit says.

He declines to give a figure for the number of investigations in Malta but describes successful interventions that did not reach court. In some circumstances, the person’s age influenced the response; in others, police considered a different intervention more appropriate.

Information also arrives from Europol and overseas counterparts. A foreign investigation may produce names or usernames that Malta keeps for future reference, or a more specific request asking whether local investigators have encountered someone suspected of extortion.

Counter-Terrorism Police Inspector Zachary Zammit

Police process retained information to identify possible links when a username appears on someone’s device. The difficulty, he explains, is detecting the activity in the first place.

“The biggest problems in these cases aren’t problems specific to Malta. The problems that make these cases difficult are a lack of visibility into children, and sometimes a lack of cooperation from certain service providers—some are more ready to help than others, or may be faster to help than others,” he says.

Once investigators detect a case, they examine devices and digital evidence.

Zammit says police in other countries engage with people in gaming environments, much like officers do on the street. He compares this to monitoring a subject’s social media, but with attention directed toward games.

What a parent might notice

For parents, Zammit recommends understanding the devices children use, taking an interest in what they can do on them and noticing changes in behaviour, including unusual mood swings or aggression.

On the device itself, he points to the material being shared. “It’s the type of material that’s present; a lot of it has to do with gore, blood, and the way they speak. I think that’s the biggest thing I can point to,” he says.

He gives the example of a child being sent a video of a shooting and stresses the importance of noticing a pattern in the content.

The names and language are harder to follow with new acronyms emerging constantly, he explains, and expecting parents to learn them all is less useful than encouraging them to examine what is being shared.

He acknowledges how difficult it can be for parents to seek help when they suspect something is wrong. He encourages them to take an interest and try to find out what is happening.

His advice comes back to what’s on the screen—keep an eye on the videos a child is watching, how people speak to them, and whether violent content keeps appearing.