What’s behind Australia’s surge in teen extremism?

An expert warns that many young people are being discovered with digital files described as extremely graphic. Recent reporting highlighted that most individuals charged with the federal offence of possessing violent extremist material are minors. Federal police have noted a sharp rise in teen involvement in extremism, with the majority of recent counter‑terrorism prosecutions involving youths. The trend underscores growing concerns about radicalisation among adolescents.

Young people are being found with ‘hard drives full of what can only be described as gore’, one expert saysIn March, Guardian Australia revealed that most people who have been charged with the new federal crime of possession of violent extremist material are under 18.This week Australian federal police sounded the alarm about a surge in teen extremism: 32 of the 37 young people prosecuted in counter-terrorism cases since 2020 were charged in the past two years. Continue reading...