‘Protect those kids’: Warning for parents after youth connected to ‘violent extremist group’

Experts warn that predators prey on young people through popular videogames and chat rooms.

There are renewed warnings for parents to keep an eye on what their children are doing online.

The warning comes after a Halifax youth was arrested for allegedly participating in an “online violent extremist group.” Police said the youth faces several child pornography charges.

The Canadian Centre for Child Protection said the number of offences on popular platforms is climbing.

“We know from the reports that comes into cybertip.ca that the majority of times when it involves some sort of extreme violence, the initially contact occurs in a gaming environment or a private chat environment, like discord,” said Jacques Marcoux, the centre’s research and analytics director.

According to police, the youth in this case was involved in “764,” a subgroup of the Com Network, which is made up of people who “glorify serious violence and cruelty.”

Recently, Beauceron Security, a cybersecurity software company based in New Brunswick, launched a new online learning module about the Com Network in its platform for teachers and parents.

“What we wanted to do was to explain to teachers and parents the signs to look out for, how much this is happening, that it’s real, that they need to take an active role in protecting kids, and how to approach them and have these conversations,” said David Shipley, Beauceron Security CEO.

‘Zero accountability’

The Canadian Centre for Child Protection said more needs to be done at higher levels to protect young people online.

“Parents are one slice of the solution, and I think parents are already doing what they can for the most part,” said Marcoux. “We have to start pointing fingers at the companies themselves, and really, it comes down to our governments who have to put together laws that protect those kids.”

Shipley agrees there needs to be changes.

“This is the great challenge of our time. These companies have made billions of dollars offering these online services with zero accountability for the repercussions of that connectivity,” Shipley said.

“The reality is for parents is this is not the internet of 20 years ago. This is connecting to a world of threats. For all the good the internet does, and there’s a lot there, there is an equal amount of bad.”

‘Deeply concerned’

The Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESAC), which represents major video game console makers, publishers, independent developers and national distributors, is paying attention to what is going on.

“We are deeply concerned by reports of extremist activity and the exploitation of youth online. Creating a positive, inclusive and safe online experience for all players is paramount to the video game industry,” said ESAC President and CEO Paul Fogolin.

“The video game industry has zero tolerance for the spread of hateful or threatening content. Our members enforce clear codes of conduct with serious penalties to prohibit harmful behaviours.”

Fogolin said the video game industry invests heavily in player safety through “advanced moderation technologies, expert human moderators and features like privacy settings, parental controls and reporting tools for managing gameplay and flagging inappropriate content.”

He also noted ESAC and its members collaborate closely with law enforcement and partners to uphold online safety and trust.

Parental controls

Marcoux said it’s important for parents to have an open line of communication with their children about their online activity and exploitation. There are other steps parents can also take, including using parental controls.

“Do what you can with the very limited parental control functions that do exist on these services. I have three young kids. I have set up as many parental controls as I can. It’s still not enough. They’re very hard to work with,” said Marcoux.

He also noted the reporting function on many platforms can be difficult to navigate, which could result in unreported instances of exploitation.

Police said anyone who believes they may be a victim, or anyone with information about online violent crime groups, should contact their local police or Crime Stoppers.

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