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Sadistic Online Exploitation: Understanding the Hidden, Harmful Trend Targeting Young People 

Sadistic Online Exploitation: Understanding the Hidden, Harmful Trend Targeting Young People.

In the digital age, the internet connects us in incredibly positive ways, but it also enables new, dangerous forms of abuse. One of the most disturbing of these is Sadistic Online Exploitation (SOE): a form of online abuse in which perpetrators deliberately exploit vulnerable individuals, especially children and young people, to inflict harm, control, or manipulate them for twisted gratification.

What Is Sadistic Online Exploitation?

Sadistic Online Exploitation (SOE) is defined as the intentional and malicious use of the internet to harm others, exert control over them, or coerce them into producing or sharing content involving self-harm, animal cruelty, sexually explicit acts, or even suicide. Perpetrators derive psychological pleasure, a sense of power, or status within extremist or violent online communities by controlling and degrading their victims. 

Unlike generic cyberbullying or sextortion, SOE typically involves progressively more extreme manipulation and coercion, often leveraging threats, blackmail, or psychological abuse to keep victims trapped in the cycle of harm.

How Does It Happen?

SOE offenders frequently exploit publicly available platforms. gaming apps, messaging services, social media, and forums, to initiate contact with young people. They often:

  • Present themselves as a friend, romantic interest, or mentor to build trust.
  • Tap into a young person’s need for acceptance, belonging, or support.
  • Gradually normalize harmful behaviors, escalating from seemingly innocuous interactions to coercive demands.

 

Many offenders are part of online communities or networks that coordinate, share, and celebrate these abuses, making them harder to detect and dismantle. Australian Federal Police

 

Who Is at Risk?

While anyone with an online presence can theoretically be targeted, current evidence suggests that SOE disproportionately affects children and young people, especially those who may already be vulnerable due to loneliness, low self-esteem, mental health challenges, or a lack of strong support networks.

Offenders often target English-speaking youth and operate under false identities, using the anonymity of the internet to evade detection and build trust with victims.

Warning Signs to Watch For

Because SOE often involves isolation and secrecy, it can be hard to notice,  but some potential warning signs include:

  • Unexplained self-harm marks, such as scratches, burns, or bite marks.
  • Sudden changes in sleeping or eating habits.
  • Withdrawal from friends, family, or normal activities.
  • Secretive or excessive use of phones or online platforms.

 

These signs could also be associated with other challenges young people face, so they don’t automatically indicate SOE, but they do warrant further attention and supportive conversation.

What Should Victims and Families Do?

If you suspect someone is being targeted:

  1. Pause the online interaction and don’t engage further with the suspected abuser.
  2. Documenting evidence, screenshots, messages, and usernames can be invaluable for investigators.
    https://www.accce.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-10/Sadistic%20Online%20Exploitation%20Factsheet_V3_1.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com
  3. Report the situation to law enforcement and appropriate online platforms.
  • In other countries, similar national cybercrime and child protection authorities can assist.
  1. Seek emotional support, victim support groups, counselors, and mental health services can help victims and families cope with trauma.

Remember: victims are never to blame, and reaching out for help is always the right first step.

Why Awareness Matters

Although SOE represents a small fraction of overall online harm, its impact on victims can be severe and long-lasting, including psychological trauma, shame, and in extreme cases, suicide.

By raising awareness, educating young people about safe online behaviors, and supporting open communication, families and communities can help prevent exploitation and make it more likely that victims come forward before the harm escalates.

Sources:

Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE).

Sadistic Online Exploitation.

Australian Government – Australian Federal Police. Available at: https://www.accce.gov.au/help-support/sadistic-online-exploitation

 

Written by:  Isaiah Langworthy