International | Click follow for salvation Social media are helping cults to recruit and control members The internet has replaced door-to-door evangelists with online influencers Share Jan 8th 2026 | 7 min read I t began as just another niche game inside Roblox, an American video-game platform. Players wandered through dark forests, exchanged clues and chatted as they explored. Within these spaces a group of adults steered some children into Discord, an online messaging service.

They told them that the game’s geometric symbol had real-world power and could connect them to a “higher state”.

Entry to the group’s inner circle required proof of loyalty. Children were asked to film themselves performing a series of tasks. At first the challenges seemed harmless. Over time they became more intrusive, with some children pushed into carving the symbol into their skin. This article appeared in the International section of the print edition under the headline “Click follow for salvation” From the January 10th 2026 edition Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents ⇒ Explore the edition Share Reuse this content More from International The Telegram A stay-calm plan to save the world Alas, almost no foreign leader is as reasonable as Finland’s president, Alexander Stubb The War Room newsletter: What is Donald Trump’s aim for Iran? Shashank Joshi, our defence editor, analyses the president’s options The Telegram Donald Trump’s envoys failed to reassure Europe A gathering of world leaders in Munich shows how trust has collapsed The Robin Hood state is coming for the rich Tax systems are more progressive than you think Inside Jeffrey Epstein’s network What 1. 4m emails reveal about America’s most notorious sex offender The Telegram Are liberal values a luxury the West cannot afford? Yes, China has impressive high-speed trains. That is no reason for the West to adopt iron-fisted rule

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