What happens when lonely boys, toxic forums, and violent content collide?
A dangerous new threat is growing online—and now, the UK’s top crime and counter-terror units are sounding the alarm.
Authorities say young men, immersed in deeply misogynistic corners of the internet, are actively seeking out vulnerable women and girls.
They often target them on eating disorder or suicide forums.
Matt Jukes, Britain’s head of counter-terrorism, calls it a “decisive moment.”
What’s The Goal?
He and the National Crime Agency (NCA) are launching a joint taskforce.
Their goal is to track down these online predators before virtual threats become real-world tragedies.
“These are boys obsessed with violence, gore, and domination,” said NCA’s James Babbage.
“And the lines between terrorism, misogyny, and child abuse are blurring fast.”
The rise of “com networks”—groups of young males trading in cybercrime and sadism—has exploded sixfold in just two years.
Many are driven by clout and twisted peer validation.
The internet, Jukes says, has “turbocharged” their radicalization.
Algorithms feed them more of what they crave.
And without action, we risk letting a new generation spiral into digital darkness.
So here’s the question: when content turns into compulsion, how long before it becomes a crime?
