A former senior officer in the Australian Federal Police has issued a chilling warning about the rapid radicalisation of young people, blaming social media algorithms that create an 'echo chamber of hate' and provide both the motivation and the know-how for extremist acts.
AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett recently highlighted the alarming speed of modern radicalisation, noting it can occur 'within days.' Former AFP detective superintendent David Craig echoed this concern, pointing to the dangerous content accessible to youths through their devices.
'Modern extremism is being increasingly fuelled, for effect, by algorithms,' Mr Craig said. 'It's being done on young minds, young minds that don't have the adult reasoning or deterrent factor that they just don't have that balance of life.'
Mr Craig explained that while traditional radicalisation involved 'face-to-face meetings over months,' the process is now much faster. 'Now it can take a matter of days when they're in their echo chamber of hate and... the algorithm keeps delivering them the hate and the know-how,' he said. 'They can end up with a full 20-year hardened criminal's encyclopaedic knowledge of criminality by the age of 13.'
His comments follow Commissioner Barrett's statement last month regarding funding for the Counter Terrorism Online Centre. She said terrorists were 'manipulating vulnerable and susceptible individuals at rapid speed.' 'It used to take months or years to radicalise an individual, but now, in some cases, it is happening within days,' she stated. 'The speed and scale of radicalisation is becoming one of our most significant challenges, especially when it comes to youth. Too many of our young and vulnerable are at the crossroads to crime and too many are already desensitised to violence given what they have been viewing or creating online.'
Last month, the Albanese government announced a $74 million investment over two years for the Counter Terrorism Online Centre.
Meanwhile, a 13-year-old boy was charged this week after counter-terrorism detectives found he was allegedly planning to carry out an act of violence at a Queensland school. Detectives allege the boy had 'imminent plans' to kill other children whom he deemed to be 'small and easy targets,' according to The Courier Mail. The boy was charged with one count of preparation or planning to cause death or grievous bodily harm, and possessing or controlling violent extremist material obtained or accessed using a carriage service. The boy was not known to police, and no ideology has yet been determined.
