counter How depraved Roblox ‘Cult of Spawn’ is grooming YOUR kids online – forcing 11-year-olds to strip & perform sick rituals – Forsething

How depraved Roblox ‘Cult of Spawn’ is grooming YOUR kids online – forcing 11-year-olds to strip & perform sick rituals

SLICING her body with marks, 14-year-old Jessica is implored to go further yet by her online abuser, who instructs her: “Burn it.”

It’s a harrowing moment bravely revealed by the teenager after she became embedded in a terrifying online cult known as ‘Spawnism’.

Illustration of a cult gathering space with benches, a podium, and a spiky sun-like symbol.
Roblox

The terrifying ‘cult ‘Cult of Spawn’ has a ‘church’ on the game Roblox, where it started out[/caption]

Person in a black hoodie with a covered face typing on a computer keyboard.
Getty

Vile groomers are using the platform to target kids[/caption]

A bloody bird wing and three bloody lanternflies on a worksheet about gene flow and genetic drift.
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Cult members often share graphic and bloody photos[/caption]

Formed on the popular video game Roblox, which has 111million daily players who are predominantly early teens and children, it’s the latest “explosively increasing threat” to hit the platform.

The group, which launched in July, has encouraged mass suicide, forced youngsters to strip and perform degrading sex acts on camera, and to carve up their flesh as ‘offerings’. 

Often the ‘Cult of Spawn’ will then blackmail and extort their victims into inflicting even more abhorrent injury upon themselves – all for their own sick gratification and kudos from like-minded monsters.

Charity experts warn us they are “as dark and depraved as it possibly gets” and are comprised of so-called ‘The Com’ groups – online groomers, paedophiles and sadists – working together and advising one another with a “real-time manual of harm”.

One charity focused on harms on Roblox say they received 200 cases in a single day via their helpline – many linked to the group.

The Sun’s investigation uncovers the depths of the cult’s depravity, with victims as young as 11 being encouraged to perform sick sexual acts.

Jessica, whose name has been changed, joined the cult after being intrigued when a pal told her online users had “made the cult from Forsaken (a game on Roblox) a real thing”.

The teen discovered a channel on a popular chat-site for ‘offerings’, where the harm intensified.

“I used Spawnism as a scapegoat for my depression, which led to me getting groomed,” she tells The Sun, through BloxShield, a safeguarding charity for users of Roblox.

“I was manipulated into making several deep cut signs on my thigh. At the time, I didn’t know what [The Com] meant and I did the sign. 


“He told me to cut it deeper. I did. He told me it wasn’t enough, and to burn it into my skin 

“That’s when I had my epiphany and left. I didn’t know any of the names of these people.”

‘Real-time manual of harm’

Spawnism started out on Forsaken, a horror game on Roblox, where one player is a ‘killer’ and the others work as a team to survive and escape before the timer runs out.

As part of that, a ‘Cult of Spawn’ was created – founded on a spiky starburst sigil, which symbolises ‘respawning’ and some believe ‘The Spawn’ deity will grant them a ‘second life’.

The most popular gaming experience for Spawnism was visited up to 72,000 in the two months to August, one of them included a replica of a church bearing their symbol. 

Despite game developers stating the ‘cult’ is fictional, groomers have made it real and hijacked it for their twisted ends – to perpetuate abuse of all kinds. 

Lined notebook paper covered in red paint or blood with black handwritten text that reads "Forgive me Spawn" repeated multiple times, and other phrases such as "I am humanity's greatest sin" and "I shouldn't have a soul for this delicate vessel of yours."
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Some soak poems with their own blood to appease the fictional Spawn ‘deity’[/caption]

Close-up of a person's arm wearing a "SPAWN" beaded bracelet.
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Some members create bracelets and art to celebrate the cult[/caption]

A screenshot of a Discord conversation with two messages. The first message reads, "Start stroking your p***. Do it now." The second message reads, "Yes goot. if not we are leaking your nudes to the server. Alongside your face and discord."
The chilling threat from one Cult of Spawn abuser

Hundreds believe it is real life and innumerous accounts on social media are dedicated to it.

Likely recognising the popularity and ages of those subscribing to the beliefs, Forsaken was quickly seized upon by sadistic predators looking to groom, manipulate and abuse.

Caden Scott, 18, executive director of BloxShield, a charity that advises on safety for Roblox and offers victims support, tells us the threat is “getting worse and worse”.

Andy Burrows, of online harms charity the Molly Rose Foundation (MRF), warns the cult is “as dark and depraved as it possibly gets” with abuses harbouring “very, very dark and sinister motivations”.

I asked him if others did this before and instead of just saying ‘yes’, he showed me an underaged girl’s nudes


Spawn survivor

“Let’s call it what it is, a new and deeply disturbing form of sadistic grooming,” he tells us.

“It’s really worrying. We’re seeing really large groups coming together, they are a melting pot for a whole range of bad actors and a moth to the flame for those wanting to harm children.

“The unifying thread for the abusers is typically young boys and men, who have an interest in extreme violence and want to degrade and exercise power over vulnerable children and coerce them into appalling acts.

“We’re seeing a pollination and sharing of ways in which to coerce and identify children, who share ‘advice’. It’s becoming a melting post of bad actors with a real-time manual of harm” 

Twisted ‘offerings’

The Sun found at least 12 accounts on one social media linked to the group. Some were victims in their early teens, others inciters and some allegedly ‘peaceful’ Spawnists.

Most were vulnerable with mental health issues and the majority of photographs and accounts of their self-harm ‘offerings’ are too graphic to reproduce.

Roblox avatar wearing a black jacket with a white fur collar, black pants, and a white shirt with a sunburst symbol.
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Scores of characters have been created in the likeness of the Cult of Spawn on Roblox[/caption]

Illustration of a Roblox character in a colorful garden.
ROBLOX

The immensely popular game has been hit by allegations it is being abused by predators[/caption]

One individual, who left the cult, told The Sun through BloxShield about being instructed to “burn my house down” and carve the moniker of their abuser’s name on their leg. 

Another told us: “Self-harm was promoted by everyone there, sacrifices such as blood spilt on paper.”

Explaining how they were even told to perform sex acts, they added: “It sickens me now but at that time I was vulnerable and I just did. 

Is Roblox the most dangerous platform for kids? I would personally say yes, because it has this targeted gaming, fun approach, and I’d class it more as a social media


Andy Briercliffe, BloxShield

“I asked him if others did this before and instead of just saying ‘yes’, he showed me an underaged girl’s nudes.

“A video of a girl, who looked no younger than 13 doing the same thing I was being told to do… at the time I felt it was normal since someone else had done it.” 

Later they admit being “scared of my nudes getting leaked”, adding: “I felt gross, awful, and purely at fault for everything.”

Eventually they confided in their mother and therapist but begged them not to pursue legal action due to being traumatised enough over the abuse.

‘Most dangerous kids game’

The rise of Spawnism is deeply worrying, especially due to Roblox’s young fanbase.

BloxShield’s director of safety Andy Briercliffe tells us children as young as six play it.

He adds: “Is Roblox the most dangerous platform for kids? I would personally say yes, because it has this targeted gaming, fun approach, and I’d class it more as a social media.”

The charity says the platform is “inherently unique” because of its chat function, which players can use during games and is exploitable. 

Caden adds: “You have an insane amount of bad actors and an enormous amount of children to be taken advantage of. 

“We have observed profiles and communities – some have tens of thousands of members – who are purely orientated around trading CSAM, which is blatantly prevalent on the Roblox website and often exceptionally easy to locate.” 

Mental health support

If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:

Andy, from the Molly Rose Trust, tells us Spawnists’ “primary targets” are young teenagers, typically girls, displaying poor mental health, who may be engaging with self-harm, suicide content or exploring their gender or sexual identity.

He lambasts Roblox and other platforms for not taking enough action, insisting due to the former’s young age base it has “a moral responsibility to act urgently”.

“There’s zero excuse for Roblox to be sitting on their hands, any suggestion from the platform that they are taking these threats seriously is laughable.

“And Ofcom is pretty much asleep at the wheel. Despite multiple red flags from major law enforcement bodies and repeated urging from MRF to take these threats seriously we still don’t have concrete measures for platforms to take these issues seriously.”

NSPCC’s online safety support

The safeguarding experts explain that parents don’t need to be online experts.

They have provided resources and advice to help support parents and children navigating the online world.

If your child asks you a question you don’t know the answer to, or speaks to you about a negative experience they had online, here are some of things you could do:

  • Visit the NSPCC online safety hub: nspcc.org.uk/onlinesafety.
  • Call the NSPCC helpline 0808 800 5000 to speak to an advisor.
  • Ask another parent.
  • Speak to your child’s teacher.
  • If your child needs more support, they can contact Childline: childline.org.uk.

Safety is ‘top priority’

A Roblox spokesperson told us safety was their “top priority” and they take a “proactive approach” to protect users from harm.

They added: “Spawnism as a ‘cult’, and any associated real-world behaviours like self-harm or grooming, are strictly prohibited on Roblox.

“We have thoroughly investigated claims related to a ‘Spawnism cult’ and found no associated violative behaviour on our platform.

“Our investigations indicate that a small number of bad actors are misappropriating imagery from our platform and fabricating narratives to lure vulnerable individuals to other platforms that may have less stringent moderation standards than ours.”

They told us Roblox was designed with “rigorous built-in safety features” and their policies were “purposely stricter than those found of other platforms”.

The continued: “Including limiting chat for younger users, not allowing sharing images through chat and filters designed to block the sharing of personal information.

“Every day we take swift action against content or users found to be in violation of our policies.”

An Ofcom spokesperson told us making sure tech firms protect UK users – especially children – from “this kind of sadistic behaviour” was a “top priority” for them.

They told us they are “already holding platforms to account” and new online safety rules will help them in this battle.

“We currently have investigations open into 69 sites and apps, and expect to make further enforcement announcements in the coming weeks and months,” they added.

“It’s also important this happens alongside effective action from law enforcement against individuals who commit criminal offences online.”

An X spokesperson told us they recognised suicide and self-harm as “critical public health issues” that demands “collaborative action across all sectors” and referred concerned individuals to their online policy guidlines.

They added: “X complies with its legal duties under the Online Safety Act to prevent children from accessing this type of content.

“For adults, our policy approach, informed by consultation with experts, allows individuals to share personal experiences to foster support and connect those in need with resources, while strictly prohibiting and taking action against content that promotes or encourages self-harm or suicidal behaviours to protect users from harm.”

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