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Boy, 13, charged with terror offences as kids being driven to terrorism via online gaming

An alarming surge of children as young as 13 are facing terror charges as experts warn evil online recruiters are grooming vulnerable teens via gaming forums

[A chilling wave of youth radicalisation is sweeping across the globe]

A chilling wave of youth radicalisation is sweeping across the globe(Image: Getty Images)

A chilling wave of youth radicalisation is sweeping across the globe, with children as young as 13 being hauled in by counter-terrorism cops. Security chiefs warn that vulnerable teenagers are being brainwashed from the comfort of their own bedrooms through social media apps and online gaming platforms.

The scale of the crisis has been laid bare by shocking new data from the Australian Federal Police (AFP). Out of 32 people busted under the nation's strict violent extremist material laws since 2024, a total of 19 of them were children.

The terrifying reality of the threat was exposed last week when a 13-year-old boy from Maryborough was slapped with terror charges.

[Police have seen an increase in vulnerable teenagers being brainwashed through social media apps and online gaming platforms]

Police have seen an increase in vulnerable teenagers being brainwashed through social media apps and online gaming platforms(Image: TOLGA AKMEN/EPA/Shutterstock)

Cops allege the youngster was hoarding violent extremist propaganda and plotting to cause mass slaughter or grievous bodily harm after hunting through a seized electronic device.

According to The Nightly, he is just one of many. In recent weeks, several teens have been cuffed by anti-terror squads.

They include a 16-year-old in Darwin accused of sharing neo-Nazi style nationalist propaganda and a 17-year-old in Canberra charged with plotting a racist terror attack.

[Experts warn recruiters are now bypassing traditional barriers by infiltrating online communities]

Experts warn recruiters are now bypassing traditional barriers by infiltrating online communities(Image: PA)

Meanwhile, teenagers in Sydney and Melbourne were allegedly caught hoarding ISIS execution videos and bomb-making blueprints.

Deakin University extremism expert Professor Greg Barton warned that evil recruiters are now bypassing traditional barriers by infiltrating online communities.

Professor Barton said: "Decades ago you were told not to speak to strangers in the park or at the train station. Well, now theyre in your bedroom chatting in your e-gaming forum."

Experts say the isolation of the Covid pandemic accelerated the crisis, pushing lonely kids into dark corners of the web where grooming thrives.

Peta Lowe, former director of countering violent extremism for New South Wales Juvenile Justice, revealed that radicalisation has completely mutated.

Sick terror groups like Islamic State no longer require recruits to travel to war zones. Instead, they weaponise standard apps.

Ms Lowe said: "Instagram, Snapchat, Discord, Reddit, TikTok, WhatsApp, Telegram, YouTube - it's out there."

She added that older generations are completely blind to how dangerous digital spaces have become for kids seeking a sense of purpose.

She said: "I think that's been to the detriment of children and young people in this space, because they experience online life the same as they experience in real life."

Security officials say the terrifying speed at which children are being brainwashed is unprecedented. Rather than taking months to slowly groom a target, internet algorithms and rapid-fire messaging mean kids are turning into potential killers overnight.

AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett revealed that Joint Counter Terrorism Teams have locked up 26 youths since 2020, warning of the terrifying speed of internet grooming.

Commissioner Barrett said: "It used to take months or years to radicalise an individual, but now, in some cases, it is happening within days."

Meanwhile, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) Director-General Mike Burgess confirmed the harrowing statistic that youth now dominate active terror investigations.

He said: "Around twenty per cent of ASIO's priority counter-terrorism cases involve young people."

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