Keeping children and young people safe against radicalisation and extremism

They may be:

• searching for answers to questions about identity, faith and belonging
• driven by the desire for 'adventure' and excitement
• driven by a need to raise their self-esteem and promote their 'street cred'
• drawn to a group or individual who can offer identity, social network and support
• influenced by world events and a sense of grievance resulting in a need to make a difference

How this might happen

Online

The internet provides entertainment, connectivity and interaction. Children may need to spend a lot of time on the internet while studying and they use other social media and messaging sites such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Vine or Whatsapp. These can be useful tools but we need to be aware there are powerful programmes and networks that use these media to reach out to young people and can communicate extremist messages.

What you can do to prevent this

You can make the internet safer for your family by restricting access to risky sites. You can also report extremist content that you find online.

All the major Internet Service Providers (such as Sky, BT, Talk Talk and Virgin Media) offer security and parental control packages. These services let you control or block access at home to specific sites or types of content, such as chat rooms, as well as protecting your computer from viruses and other people accessing your personal data. Contact your Internet Service Provider for more information.

More information

There is a lot of advice on how you can protect your family from unsuitable content on the internet.

Information, help and advice about internet safety - Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre

Report online terrorist material - GOV.UK: Report terrorism

Peer interaction

Young people at risk may display extrovert behaviour, start getting into trouble at school or on the streets and mixing with other children who behave badly. However, this is not always the case.

Sometimes those at risk may be encouraged, by the people they are in contact with, not to draw attention to themselves. As part of some forms of radicalisation parents may feel their child's behaviour seems to be improving: children may become quieter and more serious about their studies; and mix with a group of people who seem to be better behaved than previous friends.

TV and media

The media provide a view on world affairs. However, this is often a very simple version of events which are in reality very complex. Therefore children may not understand the situation fully or appreciate the dangers involved in the views of some groups.

Getting help and prevention

If you have any concerns that your child may be being influenced by others get help - talk to someone you can trust.

If you feel there is a risk of a child leaving the country, consider what precautions you could take to prevent travel. You should also consider what access your child has to saving accounts or gifts of money from family and friends. You might want to consider taking the precaution of locking their passport in a safe place.

Some young people think they need to use a passport for confirming their age - they do not - they can apply for an identification card.

To obtain an official photo ID for the UK visit Validate UK. For more information telephone: 01434 634996