04/09/2026
A new school year means new classes, new friendships…and often new group chats.
But have you heard of Com networks?
“Com” is short for “community”, but these are harmful online groups where manipulation, blackmail and causing harm may be used to gain status. The National Crime Agency has identified them as an emerging safeguarding concern.
This is especially important for parents and carers raising boys. Not because boys should be treated with suspicion, but because they can be targeted, recruited or drawn into harmful behaviour. Boys need safeguarding too.
The answer is not fear or constant surveillance. Stay interested in their online world, pay attention to significant changes and remind them that they can come to you without immediately being blamed or punished.
Have you heard of Com networks before? Let us know in the comments, and share this with another parent or carer.