'Dark & Dangerous' Five Eyes alliance raises concerns over rise of online youth extremism

Intelligence and law agencies in the Western “Five Eyes” security alliance warned Friday of a rising number of children being radicalised online by violent extremists.

The intelligence-sharing group spanning the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand called for a “whole of society” response to the phenomenon in its first jointly authored public paper.

“We are increasingly concerned about the radicalisation of minors, and minors who support, plan or undertake terrorist activities,” they said in the study.

The proportion of minors and people under 25 involved in such cases fluctuated over time, according to the study.

But “our nations have seen a rising prominence of young people and minors in counter-terrorism cases over the last few years”, it said.

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Australia’s intelligence service said about 20 per cent of its priority counter-terrorism cases involved young people.

In one case that made headlines in April, a 16-year-old boy was charged with a “terrorist act” after a bishop was stabbed during a live-streamed service at an Assyrian Christian church in western Sydney.

“In every one of the terrorist attacks, disruptions and suspected terrorist incidents in Australia this year, the alleged perpetrator was a young person,” said Mike Burgess, director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.

“As a parent, the numbers are shocking. As an intelligence officer, the numbers are sobering.”

‘Dark and dangerous’

Once intelligence and police services are involved, “it is usually too late – the young person is already in a dark and dangerous place”, he said.

The Five Eyes study said young people have “grown up online”.

“Online environments provide an avenue for first approaches to minors, often through seemingly innocuous social media and gaming platforms, such as Discord, Instagram, Roblox and TikTok,” it said.

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“In these environments, violent extremism is made more accessible, as violent extremism content can be created within the platforms themselves.”

Minors were increasingly “normalising” violent behaviour in online groups, the analysis said, “including joking about carrying out terrorist attacks and creating violent extremist content”.

The Five Eyes study urged people close to minors to look out for signs they were being enticed into violent extremism.

“This includes noticing and asking questions of minors, particularly given radicalisation to violent extremism can start with moderately objectionable material containing violent extremist narratives which then intensifies in its support for violence.”

It advised parents and guardians to understand their children’s online activities and warned that minors who are socially isolated are more vulnerable.

In one British case cited by the study, counter-terrorism police investigated a schoolchild and found “alarming” pro-Islamic State group content on the minor’s phone.

Besides accessing violent extremist content, police believed he had been groomed for radicalisation by an Islamic State group member and by Al-Muhajiroun, which was founded in 1996 with the goal of establishing an Islamic caliphate in the UK.

The Five Eyes analysis said the child was referred to Britain’s multi-agency “Prevent” programme, which aims to stop vulnerable people from being drawn into violent extremism.