A youth is facing several child pornography charges that involve a violent, online extremist group, according to police.

In May, the RCMP and the Halifax Regional Police started investigating a youth who was an active member of an online group called 764, a subgroup of the Com Network.

Police say they often target children, youth and vulnerable adults and manipulate them into sharing intimate images or sharing images of violence against themselves and others.

Halifax Regional Police Chief Don MacLean says it happens on apps like Discord and Telegram and games like Roblox and Minecraft.

“There are parental controls on many apps that you should familiarize yourself with and use, but most importantly, look very closely at how, when and where your child is using the internet,” MacLean told reporters during a news conference Tuesday.

They say no local victims have been identified, but MacLean says our community is “not immune to the probability that local children and/or youth are being targeted by these or other predators.”

The youth was released on conditions, but more charges are possible as the investigation continues.

They also would not say how many instances of child pornography the accused had created.

“There is copious amounts of chat data, digital evidence to go through,” said RCMP Sgt. Danielle Pollock.

“The generalized answer is, did we investigate to stop the issue? Yes, we did. Are we continuing to investigate to save and protect other youth? We are continuing to do that,” she said.

Officials say there is no evidence yet to suggest the accused was also a victim of the group.

“But through the course of how this network works, victims can be groomed to then become a predator online,” said Dave Boon, Superintendent of the Integrated Criminal Investigation Division.

 Tips for parents

Officials say these predators can sometimes groom victims for months, working to gain their trust or start a romantic relationship, and then manipulating the victims.

According to the RCMP, they use their power over the victims and coerce them into recording videos or taking photos of them, siblings or others:

• in sexually explicit poses
• sexual acts
• hurting animals, including family pets
• harming others or self-harming
• or other acts of violence
• suicide

Police say parents should talk to their children about online safety and privacy, and they offer some tips, including:

• If your child plays video games and uses chat features, put controls on who they can talk to. Check in to see who they are talking to and what kinds of conversations they are having.
• They say you should encourage youth not use headphones when they play games and to get them to play in a shared family area so parents can monitor what they are doing online.
• Remind children not to share any personal details about their name, school, address photos or videos on social media or gaming apps.
• Be aware of who your children are talking to and take note of if they start to become more private or withdrawn. Also, encourage them to talk to a trusted adult if someone makes them feel uncomfortable or pressures them to do something.

Police say anyone with information about online extremist groups should call.

“We’re not trying to scare folk, but at the same time, our best defense against this is transparency, is being out there and knowing what’s going on and ensuring that you know our youth have our help,” said MacLean.