A teenage girl with brown hair wearing a blue top uses her smartphone.Image source, Getty Images
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Police in Scotland are joining other forces in targeting online gangs which force children - mostly girls - into acts of self-harm

ByChris ClementsScotland social affairs correspondent
  • Published29 October 2026
Updated 19 minutes ago

Detectives in Scotland have joined international law enforcement in targeting online gangs which groom and coerce children into acts of self-harm.

Officers are hunting members of loose online networks of sadists known as "The Com", which mainly targets girls on gaming platforms and social media.