How Can We Stop Angry Teens Falling Down a Radicalization Rabbit Hole?
And what are the warning signs your child might be at risk?
Taking a course in Cyberpsychology opened my eyes to something I had only read about before.
On the first day, I met Mike, a worn-out dad of three teens. Explaining why he signed up, he radiated anxiety. He feared his eldest boy, Jake, softly spoken and shy with girls, was falling down a sinister rabbit hole.
Jake seemed to be in the grips of something bigger than him, but he couldn’t tear himself away. Driven by a lack of success with the opposite sex, he had joined a tribe more than willing to mold his innocence like plasticine, the misogynistic Incels*-set up by men who can’t get women to have sex with them and rage against women everywhere. The little-known Incel movement spews harmful, misogynistic content linked to violent crimes, such as the Toronto attack in 2018 and the Plymouth shooting last month.
Let me explain.
What is radicalization?
The 9/11 anniversary reminds us of the deadly consequences of radicalization every year. But why do young men like Jake get radicalized? Award-winning documentary director Deeyah Kahn explains:
‘For many young men, joining in a radical movement is a way of feeling powerful, which is particularly intoxicating for men who feel their masculinity has been called into question, whether through victimisation or a failure to achieve the status that they feel they are entitled to.’
The UK Government defines radicalization as:
“… the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and forms of extremism leading to terrorism.”
In 2018, the far-right movement was responsible for 98% of all extremist murders in the United States in the decade prior, making it a process worth exploring.
Radicalization through the ages
Much as we’d like to blame this phenomenon on online media, radicalization is nothing new. Extremists have a history of using effective low-tech forms to communicate hateful beliefs.
Think colorful murals in Northern Ireland, created to mark territory and to instill fear. Or clips from Nazi propaganda movies, produced to terrorize, but also to inform and recruit. Perhaps you have seen the Cable TV show Race & Reason, in which a former KKK leader spews his bile in 21 states?
Still, the Internet and social media can spread propaganda rapidly and to a much wider audience. From Storm Front’s 1991 online bulletin board to IS’ horrific beheading videos, extremist groups quickly latched on to websites, social media, and encrypted messaging apps to shape their audience’s worldview and to spread hate.
In a world where 73% of Americans and 66% of Europeans consider terrorism a significant threat, we can’t afford to ignore the rise in people getting involved in online extremism.
How does Covid-19 fit into this?
The UK Commission for Countering Extremism (CCE) warned after the first lockdown of a rise in online extremism. They recommend a revised counter-terrorism strategy taking into consideration the post covid threat.
Something Myrieme Churchill, executive director for Parents for Peace- co-founded by Melvin Bledsoe after his son, converted by Muslim extremists, opened fire in a military recruiting office in Little Rock- can concur. She says:
‘The organization’s hotline has been hot, hot, hot since COVID-19 (pandemic) started a year ago.’
The frantic calls- mainly from parents worried about teens and children concerned their parents were getting caught up in dangerous QAnon conspiracy theories- trebled since the pandemic started. With covid forcing people to spend more time online, the KKK, ISIS, and other extremists use conspiracy theories to attract young people.
Churchill explains:
‘Issues of anxiety and depression. That is one of the keys to go into extremism (that) has been overwhelmingly high. There’s not one case that I haven’t handled that doesn’t have to do with mental health or identity crisis or someone that is struggling with some kind of grievance.’
Covid: an opportunity or a soldier of God?
Meet Mubin Shaikh, a former supporter of the Taliban and Al Qaeda and now a counter-extremism specialist. In the video below, he explains how extremists lure young people.
Can we profile an extremist?
Despite forty years of studies, researchers have been unable to create a meaningful profile. However, in their book, ‘Engineers of Jihad,’ Diego Gambetta and Steffen Hertog uncover two surprising facts:
- A disproportionate share of Islamist radicals come from an engineering background, perhaps related to black and white thinking training.
- Social scientists and humanities students dominate left-wing extremism rather than engineers.
Vulnerabilities are more telling than personality traits
In his book ‘The Psychology of Terrorism,’ Horgan argues we should focus on vulnerabilities, making people more open to extremism. Borum explains these as:
- perceived injustice/humiliation (In the case of Jake, this could be girls rejecting him.)
- a need for identity (In a complex world, Jake identifies with the black and white nature of Incels.)
- a need for belonging (Jake feels at home with his new tribe.)
What are the signs to watch out for in your teen?
According to Churchill and her former extremist co-workers, there are signs you shouldn’t ignore. If your teen is:
- A member of hate-filled social media groups and consuming hate-filled content.
- Espousing conspiracy theories or blaming all their problems on particular ethnicities.
- Showing more devout behavior offline.
- Displaying vulnerabilities, such as mental illness or addiction, can make him more susceptible to hateful ideologies.
Tips for parents; how can you help your child out of his rabbit hole?
If you are concerned your child has fallen into that rabbit hole, here are a few things you can do.
- Discuss your teen’s online content of choice, but don’t fact check.
- Think about the situation that got your teen hooked on hate and what changes led him there.
- Stay close and keep engaging with him.
- Promote & celebrate positive elements of different cultures and religions.
- Talk to your teen’s teacher.
- Contact support groups like Parents for Peace or Life After Hate for more information.
Final thoughts
A side effect of Covid is the prolonged time teenagers spend on screens. But they’re not the only ones. Extremists of different stripes — think Incels, ISIS, KKK, and QAnon are online and ready to draw teens in with conspiracy theories.
According to Myriam Churchill from Parents for Peace, a non-partisan non-profit, more desperate families have called them for support because they fear losing a loved one to hatred. She explains that in all cases, vulnerabilities are at the heart of it.
If you are worried your teen is disappearing into a radicalization rabbit hole, check for signs like spending more time on hate-filled social media groups and espousing (Covid) conspiracy theories. Not all radicalized teens will turn to violence, however, but deprogramming groups are here to support families affected by extremism.
So, let’s hope Mike can welcome his son back into an everyday life where he awaits his son with open arms —because love trumps hate.
*A combination of “involuntary” and “celibate.”)
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Further reading:https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-020-00546-3https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2020/04/13/americans-see-spread-of-disease-as-top-international-threat-along-with-terrorism-nuclear-weapons-cyberattacks/https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2020/09/09/despite-pandemic-many-europeans-still-see-climate-change-as-greatest-threat-to-their-countries/Want to write for The Pink? We’d love to have you in our community of 300+ writers. Or Follow us on Instagram for more.