Children in England are increasingly exposed to and fixated on violent extremism through social media, raising concerns about their radicalisation and safety online, according to a report published by the children’s commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza. The report urges the government to impose stricter regulations on social media use for individuals under 18 to address the issue.
De Souza highlighted that many children are becoming "intoxicated by extremism," frequently discussing weapons, idolising violent attackers, and sharing graphic content such as videos depicting beheadings and suicides. These behaviours often fall outside the scope of existing counterterrorism measures, like the Prevent programme, which aims to stop radicalisation.
The report calls for enhanced safeguards on digital platforms, including social media, gaming sites, and AI chatbots. Proposed measures include curfews to restrict access during late-night hours, bans on advertising targeted at minors, limits on continuous scrolling, and blocking contact from strangers. These recommendations build on government plans announced in June to ban social media for children under 16 by spring 2027. Under these plans, 16- and 17-year-olds would have curfews enforced between midnight and 6 a.m., and addictive features would be disabled by default, although critics argue older teens can circumvent these restrictions by adjusting their account settings.
De Souza’s intervention comes ahead of the Southport inquiry into the 2024 attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, where Axel Rudakubana killed three children. Rudakubana had been referred to Prevent three times between 2019 and 2021, but authorities did not pursue further action, concluding he did not demonstrate an obvious ideology or vulnerability to radicalisation. Rudakubana was diagnosed with autism, a factor the report notes may increase a child’s vulnerability to exploitation, including radicalisation, though it should not be viewed as an explanation or justification for violent behaviour.
According to the report, referrals to Prevent involving children increased from 2,918 in 2016-17 to 4,715 in 2024-25. Notably, 71% of these children exhibited no clear ideological motivation such as left-wing, right-wing, or Islamist extremism. Instead, many children focused on weapons and violent imagery or engaged in sharing extreme pornography and promoting dangerous online communities or self-harm. The report stresses the need for online platforms to assess risks of radicalisation and the role algorithms may play in reinforcing harmful behaviours.
Data within the report reveals that most referrals of children to Prevent are returned to schools and colleges, with nearly 80% closed without progressing through the programme. A school safeguarding officer cited in the report expressed frustration over the lack of support, stating they received no explanation when repeated referrals did not meet the threshold for intervention. The report also notes a lack of mental health and neurodiversity information on those referred, with autism disproportionately represented compared to its prevalence in the general population.
In response, the government announced in July that individuals referred multiple times to Prevent will be required to undergo case assessments by counterterrorism police before closure. A government spokesperson acknowledged the children’s commissioner’s report and said it is being reviewed alongside actions related to the Southport inquiry, with plans to explore additional measures to address children’s fascination with extreme violence.