Safeguarding our youth online: Winnipeg Police Service warns of growing threat of nihilistic violent extremism targeting children

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The Winnipeg Police Service is issuing a public safety advisory to raise awareness of an escalating threat targeting children and youth in online spaces. Officers have begun delivering public awareness presentations on this topic to health care professionals, first responders, educators and school support staff, community agencies, and the general public to help increase awareness and support early recognition of the warning signs.

Predators once had to enter public spaces to seek out potential victims, but with evolving technology and social platforms, those behaviours have increasingly moved into online environments. Today, offenders are actively infiltrating online platforms children use daily, including Roblox, Minecraft, Snapchat, Discord, Telegram, and Twitch, amongst others.

The Threat:

Nihilistic Violent Extremist (NVE) networks - including organized groups such as The Com Network (764, MKY, O9A, amongst others), and the True Crime Community (TCC) are deliberately targeting vulnerable children and youth online. Their stated objective is not ideological change, but the destruction of society.

These predators comb through online platforms in search of children expressing vulnerability - including posts about body image, loneliness, family conflict, bullying, or struggles with mental health and neurodiversity. Predators exploit these voluntary online disclosures by fabricating shared experiences to build false trust, then systematically introduce victims to increasingly violent and disturbing material, including child sexual abuse material, animal torture, and gore, as part of a deliberate desensitization process.

Predators then move victims to private spaces where grooming escalates to blackmail. Victims, including children as young as pre-teen, are coerced into committing harmful acts against themselves, their siblings, or their pets, sometimes while being forced to livestream the abuse. Extortion is not used for financial gain. It is a tool used to extract more material and to ultimately push victims towards taking their own lives or the lives of another.

By the Numbers

According to CSIS (2025), 1 in 10 terrorism investigations in Canada now involves at least one minor. The United States has seen a 300% increase in these occurrences in the past 12 months alone, and the trend is not slowing.

Members, particularly younger ones, escalate behaviours not out of genuine ideological commitment, but in pursuit of online validation and recognition - with the perceived risk of law enforcement attention sometimes serving as a badge of honour rather than a deterrent.

What Parents and Caregivers Should Watch For:

• Unexplained injuries, markings, or signs of self-mutilation
• Sudden withdrawal from family or longtime friends
• Secretive or distressed behaviour around device use
• Exposure to disturbing content or unfamiliar online contacts
• Changes in mood, language, or expressed worldview

A Coordinated Community Response

The Winnipeg Police Service is actively working alongside Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service, HSC Children's Hospital, Winnipeg schools, and Animal Services to ensure that all potential first-contact agencies are informed and equipped to identify and respond to these occurrences.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 9-1-1.

If you have information about a child who may be targeted or victimized, or you believe you may be a victim, contact the Winnipeg Police Service at 204-986-6222, or report it to Cybertip.ca. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477 (TIPS), or online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.

For more information and resources, please visit Safeguarding our Youth Online on the Winnipeg Police Service website.