A record 6,000 children were referred to the Government’s anti-extremism programme last year, according to figures that have now been disclosed.
National police data shows that 6,085 under-18s came to the attention of the Prevent scheme in 2025 amid concerns about their preoccupation with violence or extremist ideas.
The figures highlight an emerging and disturbing pattern: some children are being referred because of an interest in mass violence that appears to have no identifiable political motivation.
The trend has intensified scrutiny of the online material influencing young people, particularly content circulating on social media platforms.
The Conservatives obtained the “terrifying” figures through freedom of information requests and called on Labour to do more to tackle online radicalisation. The party said the data suggested some children were being drawn to violence for its own sake.
The 2025 total was nearly three times the 2,129 referrals recorded in 2020. It also surpassed the previous high of 4,116, recorded in 2023.
Data compiled by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) also revealed that two new referral categories were introduced last year: “fascination with extreme violence” and “fascination with mass casualty attacks”.
The NPCC records also show that dozens of children were referred to Prevent because of an unhealthy interest in conflicts involving Israel, Palestine and Iran.
A review published last year found that the Prevent scheme had “prematurely” closed its case involving Southport attacker Axel Rudakubana three years before he murdered three children
In 39 cases last year, the child’s “primary radical influence” was listed as “fascination with extreme violence”. A further 19 referrals were linked to a “fascination with mass casualty attacks”.
Another 15 referrals fell under “fascination with school massacre”, a category that had previously been used just once, in 2023.
The NPCC data recorded 25 cases in which the stated radicalising influence was “conflict zone – Israel/Palestine”. Four were linked to “Israel/Iran”, while two were categorised as “Israel/Hamas”.
Six children were recorded as having been influenced by Russia’s war in Ukraine, while another 58 cases cited an unspecified “conflict zone”.
Online content was listed as the primary influence in more than 1,700 cases. Gaming was cited in a further 58 referrals.
By contrast, 121 children were referred after exposure to media content, 51 following influence from an “extremist/terrorist group”, and 21 each through books or a “faith leader/institution”. Movies were cited in 26 cases, while 17 referrals mentioned an “extremist speaker”.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “We are facing an alarming crisis as more and more children are drawn into extremism and violence.
“Something has gone badly wrong when children are being radicalised at such a young age.
“The warning signs are there for all to see. Labour cannot continue to bury its head in the sand while the threat grows.”
He added: “Extremism is taking new forms and continuing to develop through channels that simply did not exist in the same way in the past.
“As a society, we must keep adapting to these changing challenges.”
‘Chief among those mediums radicalising children is the online world.
‘Social media platforms have the data, know which accounts are serving extremist content, and are failing to act. That has to end.’
Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott said: ‘This is terrifying and should set off alarm bells.
‘Children do not simply become fascinated by mass violence on their own.
A review found ‘questionable decision-making’ in Prevent’s handling of Ali Harbi Ali, before he fatally stabbed serving Conservative MP for Southend West Sir David Amess at a constituency surgery event in 2021
‘Police chiefs and health professionals have repeatedly warned about the violence, sextortion and extreme content being served to children on social media.’
She added: ‘Labour were far too slow to wake up to these harms.
‘I’m glad they have finally listened and agreed to act to get children off social media but they must now get on with it.’
Last year it emerged the Prevent scheme ‘prematurely’ closed its case on Southport attacker Axel Rudakubana three years before he went on to murder three children.
Rudakubana had already discussed the Manchester Arena bombing and stabbing people when Prevent decided to end its involvement with him.
The killer was referred to Prevent three times between 2019 and 2021 due to his interest in terrorist attacks and school shootings, but there was no evidence of a fixed ideology or motivation.
Rudakubana was 17 when he stabbed 11 children and two adults in July 2024, killing nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and six-year-old Bebe King.
He was jailed in January last year for a minimum of 52 years and in July this year was moved from jail to Broadmoor secure psychiatric hospital.
In another serious failing, the killer of MP Sir David Amess was removed ‘too quickly’ from the Prevent programme, a review concluded last year.
Ali Harbi Ali, a supporter of Islamic State, fatally stabbed the serving Conservative MP for Southend West at a constituency surgery event in 2021.
A review found ‘questionable decision-making and sub-optimal handling of the case’ during the time he was engaged with Prevent.
Labour announced in the summer that a social media ban for under-16s will come into force in March next year, although there is widespread concern that tech-savvy kids will circumvent the new rules.
A government spokesman said: ‘We are committed to ensuring all children are safe from radicalisation and threats online.
‘Prevent plays a crucial role in this, moving more than 6,000 people away from violent ideologies since 2015.
‘In addition, social media platforms must be able to remove illegal content and stop children accessing harmful material by law – or face penalties of up to £18million for failing to comply.’
