{
  "id": 17186210,
  "title": "Scottish police to target online gangs forcing children to self-harm",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/scottish-police-to-target-online-gangs-forcing-children-to-self-harm",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-30T06:17:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC News",
    "slug": "bbc-news",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6vg03xl0751o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Scotland's police are collaborating with international law enforcement to combat online gangs targeting children and forcing them to harm themselves. These gangs, known as \"The Com,\" primarily consist of teenage and young adult males who use mainstream social media platforms to manipulate and blackmail girls. The groups, which have gained prominence in recent years, often use occult or Satanic symbols to appear extreme and exploit vulnerabilities in their victims. In one recent case, a Scottish police officer, Paul, is examining images of abuse and injury to identify victims and perpetrators. The Molly Rose Foundation, a suicide prevention charity, warns that these groups represent the gravest risk to children online. The National Crime Agency (NCA) is investigating around 200 cases involving these networks, with several convictions. Police say that often, abusers target victims on innocuous gaming platforms, then move to social media and messaging services to further manipulate and coerce them.",
  "summary": "Officers are hunting members of loose online networks of sadists who mainly targets girls on gaming platforms and social media.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}