TRANSCRIPT
Every Australian terrorist attack this year was allegedly committed by a young person.
That's according to the country's intelligence agency, ASIO, in a first-of-its-kind report with the Five Eyes alliance.
In the past four years, Australian Federal Police investigated 35 people aged between 12 and 17, and more than half of them have been charged with criminal offences.
ASIO boss Mike Burgess said in a statement: "As a parent, the numbers are shocking. As an intelligence officer, the numbers are sobering."
Research fellow Simon Copland, from the Australian National University, says the report highlights the shift in the way extremism is perceived by authorities over the past decade.
"The fact that it has focused on youth radicalisation really suggests these five governments are taking this extremely seriously and really highlights the real threat that's being posed here and the real change in dynamics around radicalisation and how it's impacting young people in particular."
The report had a series of accounts about children from Australia, the UK, US, New Zealand and Canada.
Two were based in Australia.
One was about a 14-year-old who planned a shooting at his school and had access to guns and explosives, the report says, "sufficient to kill a large number of students".
The report says he had expressed "admiration for terrorist attacks", and performed racist acts towards Asians and First Nations people.
Another was a 16-year-old who was part of an online network with hundreds of people.
He posted about offshore mass killings, and advocated for attacks on people of non-Caucasian appearance, saying it was to "defend the white race".
Dr Muhammad Iqbal is a senior industry research fellow at Victoria University.
He says it can be about belonging.
“It's about communities that give something to them that they feel like they've been missing and that can come in various forms, whether it's just connection with other people or through shared beliefs.”
However experts are expressing concern over a law enforcement crackdown.
The AFP already faced scrutiny in February this year after a Victorian court found it was feeding an extremism fixation into a 13 year old boy with autism in an undercover online operation.
Mr Copland also warns a nationwide social media ban for teenagers under 16 could push youth into the fringes of the dark internet.
"When government comes in and cracks down, tries to shut down speech, tries to shut down their activities, what it does is it pushes them further to the extreme. It doesn't encourage them to stop them what they're doing, but it strengthens their beliefs."
Authorities and experts agree early intervention is crucial.
They've called on parents, teachers, and healthcare workers to help identify symptoms of isolation and online addiction, before it's too late.
