SENATOR Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday warned that global Nihilistic Violent Extremism (NVE) networks have infiltrated popular online gaming platforms to target, groom, and radicalize Filipino children.

During a public hearing of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality, Hontiveros said one of the panel’s key concerns is the growing trend of online grooming within gaming communities.

“One angle that we are centering on today is this phenomenon of online grooming inside games,” the senator said.

Hontiveros identified 764, a global extremist network that has been designated a national security threat in several countries, as one of the groups allegedly exploiting online platforms such as Roblox, Minecraft, and GoreBox to recruit vulnerable minors.

The Senate inquiry was prompted by a recent shooting incident in Tacloban City, where two suspects were reportedly influenced by a local NVE network before carrying out an attack that left three high school students dead and 20 others injured.

Hontiveros clarified that she is not advocating a total ban on online games, emphasizing that the focus should instead be on dismantling organized extremist groups that use fake online identities to manipulate children into self-harm, cybersex extortion, and real-world violence.

“The games or the gaming community are not the enemy. This is about the dangers that children can face while playing and communicating online,” she said.

The hearing also examined possible institutional failures in gun control, including how the minors involved in the Tacloban attack were able to obtain firearms.

Hontiveros said the government, law enforcement agencies, and technology companies must work together to combat cross-border online radicalization and strengthen protections for Filipino children against extremist recruitment through digital platforms.