During the past month of May, Europol coordinated a referral action day (RAD) on the online exploitation and radicalisation of minors. During this day, more than 2,000 links pointing to jihadist, terrorist and violent right-wing extremist propaganda aimed at minors were referred.
The referral day took place just weeks after Europol launched a new operational task force to address the growing trend of recruiting young people into serious and organised crime.
Recent data provided by Europol reveals that minors are currently involved in more than 70% of criminal markets. Protecting children from being recruited and exploited by criminal networks is one of Europol’s key priorities. Strong collaboration between public authorities and private sector partners is essential to prevent the radicalisation of minors, and to prevent them from harming themselves and our society.
Terrorist groups are increasingly targeting young people and exploiting their vulnerabilities. They also take advantage of their online capabilities and skills in advancing violent and extremist agendas. It is a new wave that uses broader manipulation tactics.
Terrorist organisations and their supporters have developed new tactics to recruit and gain followers by tailoring their message and investing in new technologies and platforms to manipulate and reach minors.
The propaganda identified during the operational action includes content combining images and videos of children with extremist messages, as well as materials offering guidance to radicalised parents on raising future jihadists.
One of the key observations that has led to this coordinated action is the use of artificial intelligence, especially in the creation of images, text and videos designed to deter a younger audience. Propagandists invest in content, short videos, memes and other visual formats, carefully stylised to appeal to minors and families who may be susceptible to extremist manipulation, as well as content that incorporates gaming elements with terrorist audiovisual material.
Another type of content is the glorification of minors involved in terrorist attacks. In this sense, terrorist propaganda predominantly targets minors and manipulates them into joining extremist groups based on heroic narratives that portray them as «warriors» and «the hope of society».
Girls are mentioned much less frequently and their role is largely limited to raising and indoctrinating future fighters for the cause.
Another disturbing manipulation technique in recent years is the increasing use of victim narratives, particularly images of children wounded or killed in conflict zones. This manipulation serves a dual purpose: it fosters emotional identification with the victims, while inciting a desire for retaliation and further violence.
During 2024, law enforcement authorities in EU member states contributed to solving a large number of terrorism-related cases involving minors.
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