TheFederal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)has issued an urgent warning to parents and guardians across the United States about the rising threat posed by violent online networks that target children, particularly teenagers, for exploitation and abuse.
In an open letter, the agency flagged the disturbing growth of groups identified as'764' and related networksthat usesocial media, gaming platforms, and messaging appsto groom, coerce, and manipulate vulnerable young people into producing harmful content or engaging in dangerous acts.
The warning comes amid a surge in reported cases involving sadistic online exploitation, an emerging pattern of abuse in which offenders coerce minors into creating graphic material and then extort or control them using threats and psychological pressure.
According to the FBI, this activity is not isolated but part of a broader trend of violent online networks whose reach continues to expand.
The FBI's bulletin explains that groups such as '764' connect with children and other at-risk individuals across a wide range of digital platforms, including mobile messaging apps, social networks, and online games.
Once contact is established, these networks use a combination of social pressure, manipulation, and coercion to encourage victims to share graphic content, often escalating to sexual abuse material (CSAM), self-harm, or even acts of animal cruelty or violence.
Some of the most alarming tactics documented involve so-called 'sadistic online exploitation,' where offenders watch live-streamed self-harm or violent content and then circulate it to pressure victims into performing further degrading acts.
The FBI notes that, in some cases, attackers have even attempted doxing (posting a victim's personal information online) or swatting, where false reports are used to trigger armed police responses, to coerce compliance.
According to the letter, the FBI is currently investigating more than 350 subjects nationwide who are believed to be linked to these violent online networks.
These investigations span all 56 of the FBI's domestic field offices, with many focused in the New England region, including Boston. The agency emphasised that these networks are not limited to a single platform or technology but adapt fluidly to emerging digital communication tools.
Source: International Business Times UK
