Social media has radicalised the vigilante movement 'pedophile hunter', with a masked man posting a video of himself beating a 73-year-old man with a hammer, leaving him bloody, and robbing him of his valuables, as well as filming his credit card details and sharing them with thousands of followers.

The New York Times reports that vigilante activities known as 'pedophile hunters' are rapidly increasing online in the United States. Pedophile hunters pose as minors to lure out sex offenders and then post videos of the encounters. Recently, however, the number of cases involving violence has been on the rise, making this a serious social problem.

Online 'Pedophile Hunters' Are Growing More Violent — and Going Viral - The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/03/26/us/pedophile-hunting-violence.html

The trigger for the increase in pedophile hunters was a project called 'To Catch a Predator' on the American news program 'Dateline NBC.' In this project, program staff would infiltrate chat rooms disguised as minors, continue chatting with adults who contacted them with sexual intentions, and arrange to meet in person. They would then lure the target to a house or other location where a camera had been set up, and when the target showed up, the host would interview them, after which the police, who had been waiting, would make an arrest.

This show became so popular that influencers began to pretend to be minors on social media and dating apps, just like in 'To Catch a Predator,' and then post videos of them meeting people they had contact with on YouTube, Facebook, etc. Pedophile hunters have turned it into a business, gathering hundreds of thousands of followers to sell merchandise and releasing exclusive videos only to subscribers.

Of course, social networks like YouTube and Facebook have shut down these vigilantes, but pedophile hunters have migrated to less regulated platforms like Kick, Locals, and Rumble, where they continue to operate. While Kick and Locals deny any involvement in the content, they have only partially removed it and the videos continue to be re-shared. Rumble and Locals are also supported and sponsored by the right as free speech movements.

The group 'Dads Against Predators' initially focused on exposing and accusing or warning others, but in recent years, the number of violent cases has increased. In particular, since moving to Locals, the number of violent scenes has increased, and it is often announced that 'more violent videos are available for a fee on Locals.' The State of Ohio issued a statement to 'Dads Against Predators' saying that it 'poses a threat to public safety and may obstruct judicial proceedings,' and expressed its intention to consider legal action.

According to the New York Times, more than 170 violent incidents involving pedophile hunters have occurred since 2023. The violent acts are becoming more extreme, with videos including 'appearing on the scene in a helicopter dressed as the Joker,' 'threatening the target with a crocodile,' 'giving electric shocks,' 'making the target walk on a mousetrap,' and 'getting the word 'PREDATOR' tattooed on the arm.' Furthermore, in the comment section of the stream, viewers are sending extreme comments such as 'put peppers in the victim's eyes,' 'make them drink urine,' and 'kill them,' so there is no sign of the radicalization stopping.

In 2024, a 19-year-old student going by the name 'realjuujika' livestreamed himself breaking into a 73-year-old man's home and beating him with a hammer. Standing over the bloodied man, realjuujika claimed he had tried to force a 15-year-old boy into a sexual act, robbed the man of his valuables, and showed his credit card number on camera during the livestream to share with his thousands of followers. realjuujika was subsequently arrested and charged with 20 other counts of kidnapping, aggravated assault, robbery, and trespass.

The problem with pedophile hunter cases is that in many cases, the victims refuse to press charges, so the judicial process often does not progress. Many violent hunters are not criminally charged, and only seven of the 22 violent pedophile hunter rings identified by the New York Times have been prosecuted.

The New York Times pointed out that the activities of pedophile hunters have become violent entertainment in the name of justice, and argued that the viral nature of social media, monetization, and the spread of copycat crimes have posed a new threat to public security and law and order. They also argued that at the root of this problem is social aversion to sex offenders and a desire for recognition, which is fueling their radicalization and commercialization.

In Japan, influencers who attack and arrest people committing sexual assault, voyeurism, or fraud under the guise of making 'private arrests' have also become a problem, and there have been reported cases of influencers being arrested for blackmailing others or aiding in crimes.

Two YouTubers found guilty of inciting someone to bring stimulants for the purpose of filming a 'private arrest' video Tokyo District Court | NHK | Incident
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20250203/k10014710821000.html

Former private arrest YouTuber arrested for 'beauty trap' at beauty salon - Metropolitan Police Department: Jiji.com
https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2025030500755

Is that 'justice'? Where will private arrest and reform YouTubers end up? | NHK Crime Reporter Interview Note
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/special/jiken_kisha/kishanote/kishanote83/

Special feature: 'Private arrest' YouTubers arrested one after another, viewers' reactions leading to radicalization, 'play count hustling' that could lead to false accusations | Mainichi Shimbun
https://mainichi.jp/articles/20240304/dde/012/040/008000c