22 February 2021
- RSIS
- Media Highlights
- Battle for Young Hearts and Minds as Extremists Grow Savvy Online
Since 2015, seven of the 53 people that the Internal Security Department picked up for terror-related conduct were aged between 16 and 19. All had been radicalised online and each was a prime target for recruitment by extremists due to their young age, experts said. They noted that extremists have displayed a savvy in tapping online trends and emerging platforms to spread their ideology to young people. For instance, far-right extremists in the West have used chatrooms on messaging platform Discord – popular with young gamers – to spread their message, said Mr Muhammad Faizal Abdul Rahman, a homeland defence Research Fellow from the RSIS.
CENS / Online / Print
Last updated on 06/05/2021