Gangs Are Using Games Consoles To Lure Children Into Selling Drugs

Criminals have increasingly been using video games to lure children into drug trafficking, one UK charity claims. As reported by Birmingham Live, gangs have been grooming minors with the help of microtransactions, buying them in-game currency and skins to earn their trust.

The Children’s Society, which works closely with the British Transport Police to raise awareness on the issue, have stated that young people may be coerced into moving drugs across the country due to the pressures of keeping up with online trends. After plying them with gifts in video games, groomers will begin to persuade children to carry out crimes, starting with 'low level' ones, and progressing to more serious ones.

“Groomers are talking to young people via online gaming platforms and social media. At the beginning, the exploiter will target a child and tap into what they need in the gaming community. That might be new skins, or it might be gaming credits,” said Marianne Head, a prevention officer for The Children’s Society. “Once they hook them in, and provide something for them, the gangs will move to testing loyalty and seeing how far that child will go for the relationship. From there, it builds and builds into the young person committing low level crimes, to high level crimes. They're trapped.”

Microtransactions in games aren’t anything new, but that doesn’t mean that they’ve grown any less controversial over time. A couple of weeks ago, when Gran Turismo 7 released on PS4 and PS5, it came packing some really expensive in-game purchases - some of the cars cost $40, if you spend real money to buy the credits needed, rather than complete the slow grind for them yourself. It’s easy to see how children could be lured into trusting someone who was willing to help them buy these, for example.

According to Birmingham Live’s report, four in five parents are worried about their children being groomed online. They’re encouraged to look out for warning signs, such as if their child talks about money or gifts they’ve received online, or if they seem to get anxious about being away from their phone for too long. If you think a child may be being exploited by a gang, you can anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.