Some young Australians have advocated for race wars and planned school shootings after being radicalised online, and an international intelligence alliance warns teenagers across the world are being pushed towards violence.
A 16-year-old investigated by Australia's joint counter-terrorism team had urged members of their extremist online community to prepare for a war to "defend the white race" and used their forum to discuss carrying out a mass killing offshore, live-streaming a shooting on Facebook and request bomb-making help.
The team also helped arrest a 14-year-old who adhered to nationalist and racist violent extremist ideology, expressing strong admiration for terrorists and posting related content on Snapchat before planning a school shooting.
The two case studies were included in a report from Five Eyes countries — a multinational intelligence-sharing network — that includes Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and New Zealand, as their concerns over online youth radicalisation grow.
Every Australian terrorist attack, disruption and suspected terrorist incident in 2024 was perpetrated by a young person, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) director-general Mike Burgess said, and one in five priority counter-terrorism cases managed by ASIO involve young people.
"As a parent, the numbers are shocking; as an intelligence officer, the numbers are sobering," Burgess said.
Extremists are using seemingly innocuous online spaces, including gaming platforms like Roblox and Discord, or social media sites to approach young people before pushing them down a pipeline of violence.
Teenagers are particularly vulnerable to online radicalisation, especially those who are socially isolated, as the online world can be their key source of community, the report found.
The 16-year-old, for example, had very few real-world relationships and did not participate in any extra-curricular activities.
The internet also allows minors to interact with adults and others their age to share extremist content and normalise violent behaviour.
Every Australian terrorist attack, disruption and suspected terrorist incident this year was perpetrated by a young person, ASIO chief Mike Burgess said. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
As a result, all Five-Eyes nations have similar stories to tell.
In Canada, a minor who had promoted online had threatened to hurt a female student at their school after having violent fixations and fantasies towards them.
Following work with the local authorities, he has denounced his former radical misogynist lifestyle and continues to cooperate with police.
Young people in the UK and New Zealand also engaged with racist, extremist social media groups online, while an American 14-year-old had made an improvised explosive device and disseminated instructions for others to use.
What can be done to prevent online radicalisation?
The pervasiveness of this radicalisation makes it hard to tackle the issue, and the Five Eyes law enforcement has called for a whole-of-society approach.
"Parents, teachers, health professionals and frontline workers need to understand and identify the early signs of radicalisation," Burgess said.
"Once ASIO and the AFP get involved, it is usually too late — the young person is already in a dark and dangerous place."
Early intervention programs or support services like mental health providers can help, but the Australian Federal Police is also trying to limit access to violent, extremist material and promote education and awareness to improve prevention.
