A top anti-terror officer has urged parents to report their children to the anti-terror programme Prevent if they fear they're watching harmful, misogynistic content online, warning that it could lead them into extremism.
Detective Superintendent Jane Corrigan, the Metropolitan Police's lead for Prevent, revealed that last year alone, a staggering 57% of over 6,000 referrals made to the scheme involved children under 17.
“We know that one in five of all our terrorism arrests are now of a young person, and that's really worrying,” she said. “We don't want to be arresting young people for terrorism offences, we want to prevent it.”
Corrigan told LBC the Netflix drama Adolescence had highlighted the crucial role parents play in identifying early warning signs, urging them to intervene if they notice their child acting differently.
“They're the ones that will see the change in behaviour of their child. They'll see them maybe become withdrawn, spend more time in their bedroom. And you could say, well, that's every teenager. But there's something more,” she explained.
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She pointed to signs such as withdrawing from family, a reliance on online friendships, and an increased exposure to radical or extremist material.
“I appreciate that this might seem quite daunting or unsettling for some parents or carers", she said. "While it is still only a very small proportion of young people who may actually be affected, parents must not be fooled into thinking that this is something that only happens to others.".
The Prevent programme is designed to stop people becoming radicalised before they commit a criminal offence. It provides guidance to families, teachers and healthcare professionals to help steer young people away from dangerous ideologies, including incel culture, extreme right wing views, and Islamist extremism.
It comes after the head of Prevent, Michael Stewart, left his role following a damning review which found the scheme "prematurely" closed its case on Southport attacker Axel Rudakubana three years before he went on to murder three children at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.
Rudakubana was referred to Prevent three times between 2019 and 2021 due to his interest in terrorist attacks and school shootings, but there was no evidence of a fixed ideology or motivation.
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A separate review found Ali Harbi Ali, who murdered Southend West MP Sir David Amess, was exited from the scheme too quickly.
Asked how the public could trust these failures wouldn't happen again, Corrigan highlighted that Prevent is a voluntary scheme, saying "we can't save everybody".
“I can't predict the future, it's really difficult", she said. "From all of policing, we are devastated by what happened, whether it be the murder of Sir David Amess or those three young children that were murdered by Axel Rudakubana".
Welcoming the independent review of the system announced by the government, she said "Prevent is a voluntary programme. It is about providing support and intervention to people.
"It is still a choice for somebody to engage or not, but we can at least afford them the opportunity to desist and disengage by giving them supportive factors. We can't, unfortunately, predict or prevent everything, but we'll do our best.”
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Corrigan’s warning comes amid growing concerns about the impact of online misogyny on young minds, with some 'influencers' using social media to spread extremist views under the guise of self-improvement or men’s rights advocacy.
Parents who are worried about their child’s online activity or behaviour are being urged to visit Prevent's Act Early website.
