How to tell if your child has been radicalised by Tiktok videos and Instagram Reels

More and more London teenagers are becoming radicalised – but how can you tell if your child is one of them?

When they’re behind closed doors, your children could be viewing extreme content online and being groomed to commit acts of terror.

Telltale signs could be that you’ve noticed them become more angry all of a sudden, they’re secretive about who they speak to on the internet, or have become increasingly intolerant of different opinions.

Parents have been urged to be ‘vigilant’ about their children’s online activity amid a surge in Prevent scheme referrals in London.

The latest Home Office figures have revealed a 38% increase in referrals from April 2024 to March 2025 in the capital, with the majority of those cases involving under-18s.

Police said Islamist extremism is the ‘predominant’ ideology for which individuals are referred for in London while far-right politics concerns most cases nationally.  

‘Increased risk’ of exposure

The Metropolitan Police has now warned parents that with ‘more and more children having access to the internet through their phones, there is an increased risk they may be exposed to dangerous and harmful material that could lead them down the path towards radicalisation’ and committing acts of terrorism.

Detective superintendent Jane Corrigan, the Met’s London Prevent co-ordinator, told Metro: ‘Say you had a child who was autistic, who was spending a lot of time online, who’d become very withdrawn from the house, who was very angry and refusing to go to school, who had concerns around their mental health, maybe suicidal ideation, and started sounding like they were speaking like somebody else.  

‘They are classic signs that that individual is probably being groomed or radicalised towards terrorism.

‘We know there are young people who are spending a lot of time in their bedrooms, we have parents who don’t feel confident to be able to talk to their children about what they’re doing online.

‘And we’ve seen online spaces are almost certainly an accelerant.’

Acting on ‘instinct’

Police have advised parents that the best way to tackle the issue is to have non-judgemental, open conversations with their children – such as around the dinner table.

Detective Corrigan warned under-18s accessing extremist content on the internet and speaking to the criminals who create it is similar to children meeting strangers in the park late at night, which parents ‘wouldn’t allow’ them to do.

She said parents should act on instinct, adding that many Prevent referrals are made ‘too late’ and ‘not early enough’.

Parents can seek help from Act Early – a 24/7 helpline manned by specially trained officers who people can share their concerns with in confidence.

Dr Joe Whittaker, a cyber threats expert at Swansea University, told Metro parents concerned about what their children are accessing online should try and find out exactly what the content is without ‘snooping’ and in a way which is ‘not judgemental’.

‘The one thing we’ve learned in 20 years of trying to prevent terrorist radicalisation via messages is that shame and authoritarian finger-wagging is very likely to be not only not effective but counterproductive,’ he said.

Having an ‘open conversation’ is the best way for parents to approach the subject.

Social media tactics and the ‘gateway’ to more extreme content

Artificial intelligence and algorithms have been used as a tactic to trick users into believing what they see is real.

Dr Whittaker said: ‘Certainly we can see in terms of engagement particularly on short-form video platforms, something like TikTok or YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels, is highly edited clips.

‘Before, things were a bit longer and there was a much bigger distinction between visual content and audio-visual content.

‘Whereas, now, almost all of these platforms have copied TikTok and it’s this constant stream of these short-form videos.

‘If you watch progressively more extreme far-right or misogynistic videos it learns very quickly that that’s what you want to see – and all of a sudden you’ll be shown more and more.’

And even with social media platforms aimed at children, it is ‘still extremely easy to find whichever ideology you’re interested in’, he said.

Security minister Dan Jarvis said: ‘We must direct people away from the dangerous path of radicalisation – whether it be Islamist ideology, Extreme Right-Wing or those seeking mass violence.

‘Prevent has diverted 6,000 people away from violent ideologies, stopping terrorists, keeping our streets and country safe.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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