Young people being impacted by growing tide of extremist views online, says Ombudsman for Children

The survey found that 63% hear more extreme views online than in person, while 25% say their friends have views that some people would consider extreme.

The Government must tackle the growth of extremist views among young people, the Ombudsman for Children has said, after a new survey revealed a majority of teens come across extremist views online, but less than a 10th do in real life.

The Ombudsman for Children Office said its survey of 628 students across 28 secondary schools shows just how discussions about extremism in wider society are permeating through to Ireland’s young people.

“Our survey suggests children are also being impacted by the growing tide of extremist views in what they hear and see at home, among their friends and peers and predominantly, online,” ombudsman Dr Niall Muldoon said.

“The Dublin riots and the more recent riots at an IPAS centre that housed families and children should serve as a reminder to us all that hatred and misinformation online can spill over quite easily into communities.” 

The survey found a large majority (84%) of children hear negative comments about immigration and housing, while 61% hear views that society should revert to more “traditional” gender roles. Half, meanwhile, have heard views that men are more entitled to more authority than women.

It also found that 25% say their friends have views that some people would consider extreme, while almost two thirds (64%) associate extremist views with boys and men.

A similar proportion (63%) hear more extreme views online than in person, while 69% agree discrimination is a major issue in Ireland.

In the wake of the findings, the Ombudsman for Children said the Government must examine the growth of extremist views in children and prepare plans to tackle this problem from an early age.

It also recommended that children’s rights are the forefront of regulatory work around artificial intelligence, given what it described as the “clear link” between extremism and the online world.

“We should be encouraged by the fact that students in our survey have told us that parents and guardians are still the biggest influence in their life (50% say parents are their biggest influence),” Mr Muldoon stated.

“This is a responsibility that must be taken seriously to combat dangerous ideals and to teach children about how they should treat others.

“This needs to be taken into account by Government, social media companies, and us all when it comes to educating and protecting our young men, including around the sentiment of toxic masculinity, which we see through some of the comments around gender roles that are being heard by young people. 

"It also needs to be considered in discussions around AI and how algorithms are targeting particular groups of people, in this case boys and young men.”