Online radicalisation

Online radicalisation among young people often does not happen visibly, but develops step by step within their everyday online world. What starts with scrolling, gaming or curiosity can, via algorithms and online groups, grow into influence, group pressure and the normalisation of extreme views. Young people do not always enter through ideology, but through needs: wanting to belong, seeking recognition or dealing with frustrations. The AIVD (Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service) also describes this development and stresses how quickly the process can unfold — minors can relatively easily come into contact with extremist propaganda and be drawn further into an ideological worldview in a short time. It concerns various forms of extremism, often packaged in images, humour or fragments that are not immediately recognised as problematic.

The process is gradual: content appears via algorithms, timelines or shared messages → young people get used to the tone and content → contact shifts to smaller, closed online groups → there, room arises for influence, group formation and normalisation. The steps by which young people enter: curiosity and exposure (watching, not yet believing); wanting to belong (online groups offer quick contact and community); recognition and status (attention/appreciation that is missing offline); searching for direction (simple, black-and-white stories offer something to hold on to during identity development); dealing with emotions (anger, frustration, feeling excluded find resonance in extreme narratives); and only later, step by step, explicit ideological influence within groups where trust has already been built. Precisely because it starts with needs and experiences, it is not always clear to young people where they are ending up.

• It ties in with their world — young people are online continuously; that is where they get information and make contacts
• The process is gradual — there is no clear moment at which it tips
• Influence is subtle — a worldview is built up through memes, symbolism and code language
• Algorithms reinforce the process — earlier interactions lead to increasingly extreme content
• Group formation provides confirmation — within groups, ideas are normalised and reinforced

• Spending a lot of time in specific online groups or chats
• Change in language use (us-versus-them thinking, black-and-white statements)
• Growing interest in extreme or polarising topics
• Normalising or downplaying violence
• More secrecy about online activities
• Decreasing openness towards parents, school or support workers

It is about changes and patterns, not about one isolated signal.

Why this is GEVAARLIJK (dangerous): radicalisation of minors towards extremism affects physical safety; the AIVD stresses that the process can unfold quickly. When violence is normalised/downplayed, with a concrete threat, or with indications that a young person is actively being drawn into an extremist group: escalate to safety services/police and coordinate the approach — do not wait until it escalates.

• Stay connected to young people's world — show genuine interest in their online experiences
• Make the topic open to discussion — do not wait until signals pile up
• Strengthen critical thinking — help young people recognise how influence and algorithms work
• Look at underlying needs — behaviour often says something about what a young person is missing or seeking
• Work together — involve school, parents and network partners where necessary
• Offer alternatives — provide places where young people find recognition, structure and connection
• Tailor your approach — situations differ; sometimes support is enough, sometimes more is needed

Early identification and staying in conversation are essential; the strength lies in proximity, cooperation and offering perspective. By connecting with what occupies young people, making room for questions and at the same time setting boundaries, you prevent them from getting further drawn into extremist views.

In groups
- What do you come across online that makes you doubt or shocks you?
- When is something still a joke, and when does it go too far?
- How can you tell that someone is being influenced by what they see?
- Why can some ideas seem attractive online?

One-to-one
- What have you been seeing a lot online lately?
- Are you ever in groups where things are said that don't feel right?
- What do you think appeals to people in that kind of content?
- Do you get the feeling that people online are trying to convince each other?
- What do you do when you see something you have doubts about?

The approach is to understand and connect, not to correct straight away. Acknowledge the underlying needs (belonging, recognition, something to hold on to); make room for doubt and questions while at the same time setting boundaries. A moralising or accusatory tone closes the conversation and pushes the young person further towards the group.

• TrendSein – Online radicalisering onder jongeren (LinkedIn carousel, 6 slides + introductory text, Trendsein - online radicalisering linkedin carrousel.md)