Inside the horrifying online network where children extort others to commit violence and self-harm
The 764 network is a global online ecosystem that exploits young people through extortion, pressuring them into acts of violence and self-harm. The group targets vulnerable individuals in gaming communities and social platforms, leading to real-world criminal incidents.
Why it matters
It highlights the growing danger of 'gamified' online exploitation and the urgent need for better child safety protections in digital spaces.
The 764 network is one of several shadowy online global groups Internet safety Inside the horrifying online network where children extort others to commit violence and self-harm The 764 network is just one part of a growing online ecosystem that pushes young members into brutal and degrading acts. It has perpetrators and victims in dozens of countries
In late 2024, in a quiet suburb of Stockholm, a 14-year-old boy approached a man in his 80s who was using a walker. He stabbed the man three times in the back.
The video of the attack in Hässelby was streamed and spread quickly. It fed a global online ecosystem that actively encourages and glorifies acts of violence and degradation – the “gamification of harm”, as the researcher Marc-André Argentino puts it.
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