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FBI Warns of Online 'Gore Groups' Targeting Children as Cases Emerge in Oregon
The FBI is warning parents and schools about online networks that coerce children into producing and sharing violent sexual content, with related cases reported in Oregon.
Federal investigators are warning parents, educators and law enforcement agencies about a growing category of online abuse in which children are groomed and coerced into producing and sharing violent sexual material, and Oregon is among the states where related cases have surfaced.
The FBI has issued guidance describing so-called "gore groups" â online networks, often operating on social media and messaging platforms, that target minors and pressure them into recording and distributing graphic content involving violence and sexual abuse. The groups frequently use manipulation, threats and extortion to maintain control over victims, according to the bureau's warning.
The alert comes as investigators in Oregon have encountered cases tied to the trend, underscoring that the problem is not confined to other regions or to large metropolitan areas. Details of individual Oregon cases have not been publicly disclosed, and authorities have not identified specific victims or suspects.
Federal officials say the networks often recruit children through seemingly ordinary online interactions before escalating to demands for increasingly disturbing material. Perpetrators may pose as peers, offer gifts or attention, and then use the material they obtain as leverage to compel further compliance â a pattern that can leave young victims isolated and afraid to seek help.
For families and schools, the warning points to a need for early and open conversation about online contacts, the risks of sharing images, and how to report coercion. The FBI advises that children who are targeted are victims, not offenders, and encourages parents to preserve evidence and contact law enforcement rather than deleting accounts or messages.
Local advocates and school officials have increasingly flagged the difficulty of monitoring the fast-moving platforms where such groups operate, and the warning is likely to intensify calls for stronger safeguards and faster reporting pathways for families. Community organizations that work with youth say the priority is reducing stigma so that children feel able to tell a trusted adult what is happening.
Anyone with information about these groups or about a child being coerced online is urged to contact the FBI or local police. Resources for families dealing with online exploitation are available through national child-protection hotlines and local victim-services agencies.