Australian Children as Young as 12 Caught up in Online Terror Radicalisation

Australia’s intelligence agency says the community needs to start watching for signs as an increasing number of young people are radicalised online.

In this photo illustration, social media networking apps are displayed on a phone screen with the Australian flag displayed in the background in Melbourne, Australia on Nov. 30, 2024. Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images

Socially isolated young Australians are falling prey to online radicalisation, research from a multi-national intelligence agency has revealed.

Two concerning Australian case studies were included in a recent report (pdf) from Five Eyes nations—a multinational intelligence agency that includes Australia, the UK, the US, Canada, and New Zealand.

It is the first time the Five Eyes has authored a joint analysis of youth radicalisation alongside law enforcement agencies.

The Five Eyes report said there was increasing concern about the online radicalisation of minors and minors who support, plan, or undertake terrorist activities.

Teen Planned Attack

In one Australian case study, a 16-year-old had urged members of their extremist online community to prepare for a war to defend the white race, while promoting ideas including a mass killing offshore, live-streaming a shooting on Facebook, and requesting help with bomb-making.

The teen was found to have had very few real-world relationships and did not participate in activities or socialise outside of the online realm.

The minor was ultimately sentenced to 18 months in prison, with a 14-month non-parole period.

School Shooting Planned

Meanwhile, in another case, a 14-year-old had adhered to extremist ideology, expressing strong admiration for terrorists and posting related content on Snapchat before planning a school shooting.

The teen had boasted on Snapchat of planning a shooting at their high school, and that they had access to enough firearms and explosives to kill a large number of students.

A search warrant revealed the youth owned a tactical vest, ballistic helmet, and drawings “of an extremist nature.”

The teen was sentenced to a two-year good behaviour bond, 12 months probation, and was assigned a case manager for support.

Youth Numbers Rising

Every terrorist attack or suspected terror activity in Australia during 2024 was conducted by a young person, according to Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) director-general Mike Burgess.

“As a parent, the numbers are shocking; as an intelligence officer, the numbers are sobering,” he said.

Extremists are using social media sites and gaming platforms such as Roblox and Discord to attract and radicalise young people, according to the studies.

Findings were similar in all The Five Eyes nations.

The report highlights the need to recognise that minors can be just as capable as offenders as their adult counterparts.

“During the height of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s (ISIL) caliphate, agencies saw many young people and minors (those under 18 years) seeking to join ISIL, or undertake actions inspired by ISIL in their home nations,” a section of the report read.

“As our threat environments have diversified, security and law enforcement agencies from The Five Eyes... are collectively seeing minors of varying ideological affiliations in our investigations.

“In some cases, this has included minors mobilising or planning to mobilise to violence in support of their radicalised ideologies.”

The reports state minors are capable of leading violent extremist groups, recruiting and radicalising others, and undertaking terror attacks.

The Five Eyes has seen a rising number of young people featured in counter-terrorism cases.

“Many of those who are investigated as minors are also investigated into adulthood due to their violent extremist ideology, the report said.

“The fact that the Five Eyes have chosen youth radicalisation for our first public research collaboration indicates how concerning, escalating, and pressing this challenge is,” ASIO’s Burgess said.

Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Reece Kershaw said the AFP was concerned with the increasing number of youths being investigated by the Joint Counter Terrorism Teams (JCTT).

“Since 1 January 2020, the AFP alongside its JCTT partners, has investigated and conducted operational activity against 35 individuals aged 17 years or younger, with the youngest aged 12 years old, and 57 percent have been charged with either Commonwealth or state-based offences,’’ he said.

“Within the JCTT youth caseload, we are witnessing the same extremist propaganda videos across multiple unrelated investigations, and this suggests that links exist in the online environment across platforms such as Discord, Telegram, and TikTok.”

New Laws and Community Involvement

Australia recently passed laws to ban under-16s from major social media platforms, but many will remain accessible.

ASIO and the AFP want a “whole-of-society” response to the issue.

“A priority for the AFP is to limit the accessibility of violent extremist material and promote education and awareness for those in protective roles, including parents, educators, and health care providers, to maximise prevention and early intervention options,” Commissioner Kershaw said.

Burgess called for parents, teachers, health professionals, and frontline workers to pay attention to any early signs of radicalisation.

Some signs of a youth being radicalised can include social withdrawal, feeling isolated or lonely, excessive anger at people or the government, using extremist terms, or creating writing or artwork that is violent in nature.