More than 600 children exposed to online extremism in Indonesia — Channel NewsAsia
Indonesian law enforcement officials said that in the first eight months of the year, more than 600 children aged 11 to 18 were exposed to violent extremism through social media and other online platforms. They were identified in all 34 provinces of the country, Channel NewsAsia reports.
The data were provided by Special Detachment 88 (Densus 88) of the Indonesian National Police, which deals with counterterrorism. Its spokesperson, Mayndra Eka Wardhana, noted that from a legal perspective, extremism is not yet classified as terrorism. According to him, the current threat differs from traditional terrorist networks because it is transnational, anonymous and largely encrypted.
The impact of digital communities
Experts emphasize that video games by themselves do not make young people prone to violence. At the same time, spending more time in the digital environment may expose vulnerable teenagers to harmful content in certain online communities.
The issue drew attention after an incident at a school in North Jakarta in November 2025. During explosions at a mosque on the school complex grounds, 96 people were injured. Police established that the perpetrator was a 17-year-old teenager who was a member of an online community focused on real violent crimes. Investigators said that he had long-term psychological trauma related to systematic bullying and social isolation.
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From organizations to online influences
Analysts believe that the mechanism for drawing young people into violent extremism is changing. Previously, such individuals were more often linked to specific organizations, whereas now they may be influenced by various materials found on the internet. Nur Huda Ismail, a visiting fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, called this phenomenon “fast-food terrorism,” in which people borrow ideas and inspiration from different media sources.
Siti Darojatul Aliyah, executive director of Society Against Radicalism and Violent Extremism, noted that for some young people, the appeal of such communities is connected less with ideology than with the search for people with similar grievances and life experiences. Titi Eko Rahayu, a representative of Indonesia’s Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection, also stressed the importance of parental involvement in children’s online lives.
Indonesia, which coordinates ASEAN counterterrorism cooperation, is developing a new long-term regional plan to counter violent extremism. It is planned to be presented at the beginning of next year. In addition, restrictions have been in force in the country since March 28 that prohibit children under 16 from creating accounts on TikTok, Facebook and Roblox platforms.
