Police Warn Parents: Christmas Devices Could Expose Children to Online Radicalisation.

Officers from Counter Terrorism Policing London are urging parents across the Capital to stay alert to what their children are doing online, especially as many young people will receive new phones and tablets bought in Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales.

The warning follows a sharp rise in Prevent referrals in London, which have increased by 38 per cent in the past year. The surge is being driven by a record number of concerns involving children under 18 who are increasingly vulnerable to online radicalisation.

The concern is that with more children having unrestricted access to the internet, the risk of them stumbling across dangerous and harmful material is growing. Police say this exposure can pull young people towards extremist content and lead them down a path they may not understand until it is too late.

Detective Superintendent Jane Corrigan, who is the Met’s London Prevent Co-ordinator, said: “I know lots of children will receive new phones or tablets this Christmas, with many purchased over the coming weekend’s sales, so it’s vital that parents are setting appropriate controls to ensure their children are kept safe on their devices.

“It is extremely concerning to see more and more young people in our caseload, who are accessing extremist, violent and terrorist-related content online.

“That is why we need both parental and public help with this – to protect children from encountering this type of material in the first place and to prevent them from disappearing into dark and dangerous spaces online.

“As well as setting parental controls on devices, I’d also urge parents and carers to take an active interest in their children’s digital lives to try and ensure they don’t become drawn towards this kind of material. And if you do have concerns, then the best thing to do is ACT Early and reach out to us for help – before it’s too late.”

Parents who are worried about the behaviour of a loved one can visit the ACT Early website at www.actearly.uk for guidance on spotting warning signs and what to do if someone appears to be heading down a dangerous path.

Potential warning signs include becoming more isolated from friends or family, speaking as though they are reading from a script, or being secretive about who they are meeting or speaking to online.

Police say many children referred to Prevent do not follow a clear ideology. Instead, they have stumbled across terrorist material online or developed a fascination with extreme violence found through searches or social media.

Alongside rising referral numbers, there has been a steady increase in children being arrested for terrorism-related activity over the past four years. Home Office figures show a record number of arrests of young people aged 17 and under in the year ending June 2025.

Earlier this month, officers from CTP London arrested a 17-year-old boy on suspicion of sharing terrorist publications of extreme Islamist ideology on social media. He was released on bail while enquiries continue.

On 11 November, an 18-year-old man was charged with a terrorism offence after being arrested at Gatwick Airport. It is alleged he intended to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State.

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