Sadistic predators targeting Australian children through gaming platforms

Sadistic and nihilistic online networks are using Australia’s most popular gaming platforms to coerce children into self-mutilating and committing violence against their siblings and pets, experts warn.

The networks, which have emerged as a major concern for global law enforcement agencies, have been linked to some of the country’s most popular gaming platforms, including Steam and Steam Chat, Minecraft, Roblox and Fortnite, where authorities warn a lack of safeguards risks exposing children to abuse and sexual exploitation.

“We are talking about kids who are forced into sexual contact with their dog. We are talking about kids who have been forced to eat their own faeces, they have been forced to sexually abuse an infant,” Professor Michael Salter, a child exploitation expert at the University of New South Wales, said.

“Any child who is drawn into one of these networks, their life is forever changed.”

A scathing report published by Australia’s e-safety commissioner on Friday found failures at gaming giants including Valve, the developer of Steam and Steam Chat platforms, and Epic Games, which publishes popular video game Fortnite, risk exposing children to exploitation, abuse and violent extremism.

Salter said several online networks of concern to authorities had been linked to Valve and Epic Games’ platforms, including Steam and Fortnite, as well as Roblox and Minecraft.

‘Any child who is drawn into one of these networks, their life is forever changed’

Professor Michael Salter, UNSW

On Monday, this masthead revealed members of 764, a notorious global abuse network, blackmailed an Australian girl into self-mutilating and strangling her family’s cat. The network comprises members who share beliefs on violent extremism, nihilism, Nazism, satanism and sadism, and has come to the attention of overseas law enforcement agencies including the FBI.

The Australian Federal Police last year launched Taskforce Pompilid amid growing concern about the networks’ targeting of Australian girls. “They are crimefluencers, and are motivated by anarchy and hurting others, with most of their victims pre-teen or teenage girls,” AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett said last October.

A report by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) found that while any child using social media could be targeted by 764, offenders preyed particularly on vulnerable users of online gaming communities.

Network members coerce children into filming sexual content, which they use to blackmail victims into committing self-mutilation. Members often share victims with one another.

The ISD report noted that online gaming platforms popular with children, including Roblox, Minecraft and Fortnite, were viewed by 764 members as some of the most productive hunting grounds for potential victims. Members are also active on Steam, Telegram, Discord, X, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, Twitch, and Snapchat.

Gaming platforms including Steam, can serve as a place of first contact between children and offenders, before children are convinced to communicate with predators via encrypted apps and messaging services.

The networks are competitive and share “sextortion guides” – detailed instructions on how to exploit children. In one example identified by researchers, a 764 member alluded to the ease of exploiting victims on Minecraft, noting they could persuade children to self-harm without offering payment.

The report warned that “sextortionists” seek “long-term victims,” gradually coercing them into more extreme acts over time. Even if abuse appears to have ended, victims may still be extorted or blackmailed with old material, or coerced into recruiting and abusing others.

“Often, for the boys, they’re asked or required to send videos of themselves doing compromising acts. It won’t necessarily be sexual, but sometimes it can be harming the family cat or harming a sibling, for example,” Salter said.

Indicators of abuse

•  Sudden, uncharacteristic changes in behaviour, appearance, or routine
•  Sudden changes in sleeping or eating habits
•  Sudden abandonment of previous social circles and friend groups
• Receipt of anonymous gifts (physical or digital)
• Sudden shifts in appearance or habits surrounding clothing (i.e. wearing long sleeves in hot weather)
• Scarring on the thighs or forearms, especially if the scars form a pattern
• Unexplained injuries, including cuts, scratches, bruises, or burns
• Scars or carvings which appear to form a word or symbol (cutsigns)
• Family pets or other animals being harmed or dying under suspicious circumstances
• Pets or other animals being uncharacteristically avoidant or fearful of a child   
• Source: Networks of Harm: A Victim-Centric Information Resource on the 764 Sextortion Network

“Girls are often drawn in by boys and men pretending to be their boyfriends who solicit naked material, and then the girls are blackmailed into more activity.”

While groups like 764 are often framed as extremist networks, Salter said they lacked a coherent political ideology.

“They sometimes flirt with satanic iconography, sometimes Nazi iconography, but they are incredibly dark, nihilistic, and they are recruiting kids through games because games are so unregulated. There are so many loopholes to connect with vulnerable children,” he said.

The eSafety report published on Friday found that unlike the other service providers, Valve had no dedicated trust and safety staff other than content moderators and engineers.

“We abhor the 764 network and the groups and individuals associated with it have no place on Roblox,” a Roblox spokesperson said.

“We have dedicated teams and systems working proactively to identify and remove content and users associated with or promoting 764, and we collaborate with law enforcement to help bring them to justice.”

Roblox was strengthening safeguards, including implementing age checks to limit interactions between children and adults on the game’s chat services, the spokesperson said.

In response to the eSafety report, Roblox said it prioritised the safety of its Australian community, especially the game’s youngest users.

The publishers of Steam, Minecraft and Fortnite were contacted for comment.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) or the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491.

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