Children as young as nine are being referred to deradicalisation programmes as extremist groups increasingly target young people online, a leading charity has revealed.
Exit Hate UK says the average age of those seeking help is 15, with many being well-educated, middle-class white children "who feel lost," according to chief executive Nigel Bromage.
The charity has seen referrals surge from 11 cases in 2016 to over 100 annually, with numbers quadrupling during the pandemic lockdowns.
One mother, Sarah Hardy, described how her 14-year-old son John was radicalised after viewing a single meme about homeless veterans. "That one meme led him to search for more. A friend invited him into a group and from there he was passed from one group to another. It was constant, 16 hours a day if he wasn't at college," she told The Times.
"As a mother you go through so many emotions - confusion, fear, grief," Hardy added. "It's like losing your child. Physically, he was still there, but the John I knew and loved was gone."
The revelations come as Matt Jukes, head of UK counterterrorism, calls for under-16s to be banned from social media, comparing online harm to the "cancer" from smoking.
Bromage explained that many referrals involve neo-Nazi and incel extremism, with some individuals requiring up to two years of deradicalisation support. "These far-right groups offer them a safe space to have those conversations," he said.
"The majority are young and well-educated. They are worried that when they start talking about sex and immigration they will be called sexist or racist," Bromage added. The charity has helped people aged from nine to 68 years old.
The rise in young extremists has been linked to online radicalisation, particularly during pandemic isolation, according to counterterrorism police.
