CT Policing issue summer holiday warning to parents

Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP), MI5, and the National Crime Agency (NCA) have joined forces to urge parents and carers to support their children to be safer online over the summer break.

This is the first time the three agencies have delivered a public warning to parents. 

The announcement warns that online offenders will exploit the school holidays to engage in criminal acts with young people when they know less support is readily available.

Counter Terrorism Policing and the National Crime Agency are increasingly seeing children being routinely exposed to the most serious harmful online content, including sexual violence; self-harm and suicide content; extreme gore; animal cruelty; indecent images of children; and terrorist content.

Counter Terrorism Policing’s Senior National Coordinator for Prevent and Pursue, Vicki Evans, said:

“We know parents care deeply about keeping their children safe online and given the ever-developing digital world it can feel like an uphill battle.

“We want parents to empower their children to know what to do if they come across inappropriate content online.

“We of course encourage parents to activate parental controls on routers, devices, and apps, but this should be alongside conversations that give young people the tools and strategies to make the right decisions when online.

“If you haven’t already, please start the conversation about online safety as soon as possible.”

The National Crime Agency’s Director of Threat Leadership, Alexander Murray, said: “As outlined in our recent threat assessment, there is a fast-growing threat from sadistic and violent online gangs, made up predominantly of teenage boys, dedicated to inflicting harm and committing a range of criminality which includes fraud, cyber, child sexual abuse, violence and extremism/terror related offences.

“They are international and operate across multiple channels, including messaging apps, gaming platforms and other online forums.

“We are working closely with our partners in response to this complex threat, but we recommend that adults take time to understand the online lives of young people to help prevent them falling victim to these networks.”

2023 saw the highest number of terrorism arrests of young people since records began. That year, of the 219 people arrested for terrorism-related offences, 42 were aged 17 or under, meaning one in five terrorism arrests involved a child or young person. In 2024, 39 young people aged 17 or under were arrested for terrorism-related offences.

MI5’s Director General, Sir Ken McCallum said: “In 2024 I said that 13% of all those investigated by MI5 for involvement in terrorism were under 18. That deeply concerning presence of young people in our casework continues to this day.

“In a few short clicks, young people can be speaking to dangerous radicalising terrorists online, consuming violent and extremist content. Terrorists who understand online culture are using slick propaganda to pull young people down a dangerous and potentially life-changing path.”

In 2024, the leaders of counter terrorism for the ‘Five Eyes’ nations called for immediate international action to fight the growing threat to children posed by online extremism. The alliance published a paper calling for collective action from the public, governments and the tech industry to tackle the problem. Internet Matters provides practical advice to parents on how to help their children navigate the ever-changing digital landscape.