By : Chinasaokwu Helen Okoro
Australian Girls ‘Hunted’ by Online Crime Gangs in Twisted New Wave of Violence
Australia is confronting a disturbing new form of cybercrime as young girls are being “hunted” by global online crime networks and coerced into acts of violence, police have revealed.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) have launched a special taskforce to combat what they describe as a “twisted type of gamification” — where young girls are manipulated into harming themselves, their siblings, or even pets for the amusement of online predators.
AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett issued the warning in a major speech on Wednesday, describing the phenomenon as a “new and disturbing front in traditional gender-based violence.”
According to Barrett, these networks are made up of young men and boys — many in their late teens or early 20s — who recruit pre-teen and teenage girls through popular gaming platforms like Roblox and messaging apps such as Discord and Telegram.
“These groups have a similar culture to multiplayer online gaming communities,” Barrett said. “They hunt, stalk and draw in victims from a range of online platforms, often disguising their cruelty as part of a game or challenge.”
“For Fun, Not Profit”
Unlike conventional online crime, the perpetrators’ motives are neither sexual nor financial. “This is purely for their amusement, for fun, or to gain popularity online,” Barrett explained.
The perpetrators, often referred to by police as “crimefluencers”, are said to subscribe to a range of extremist and nihilistic ideologies — including sadism, Nazism, and satanism. These belief systems, combined with the anonymity and reach of the internet, have created a new kind of social contagion built on violence and psychological manipulation.
Victims are typically girls with low self-esteem or existing mental health struggles, whom the offenders identify and groom online. They are gradually encouraged or coerced into committing violent acts that are sometimes recorded and shared within secret online groups.
While police have not publicly detailed the exact nature of these acts, Barrett said they often involve self-harm or violence toward loved ones or animals — and are intended to shock or entertain other members of the group.
Global Crackdown Underway
The AFP has already arrested three people in Australia in connection with the offences, and another nine suspects worldwide have been detained as part of the international investigation.
Nearly 60 suspected offenders have been identified in Australia alone, and the AFP is now working closely with Five Eyes partners — the United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Canada — to dismantle the networks.
Barrett said that tech companies are also cooperating with authorities to create AI-powered detection tools capable of identifying coded emojis, slang, and encrypted discussions that reference sadistic online activities.
“This is a fast-evolving digital ecosystem,” Barrett warned. “We must be equally fast in developing the tools to detect and stop these threats before they spread further.”
Social Media Ban on the Horizon
The warning comes as Australia prepares to roll out a world-first social media ban for children under 16, set to take effect in December. The move, aimed at reducing exposure to online harm, will require users to verify their age before accessing major platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter).
However, critics have raised concerns that gaming and messaging platforms — where most of this grooming occurs — are exempt from the new laws, leaving a loophole for predators to continue their recruitment efforts.
Barrett acknowledged the gap but urged parents, educators, and tech firms to stay vigilant. “We can’t police this alone,” she said. “Protecting children online must be a collective effort — by governments, companies, and families alike.”
As Australia tightens its digital safety measures, experts warn that the rise of such violent online subcultures signals a chilling new phase in the intersection of technology, crime, and youth exploitation — one that demands urgent, coordinated global action.
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