.png)
What is Radicalisation? And Who Is Most At Risk of Being Radicalised?
- Flick Learning
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
Radicalisation can happen to anyone. Through exposure to extremist beliefs, children or adults may begin to identify with harmful ideas that can, in some cases, lead to acts of violence.
It’s important to identify the effects of radicalisation early, challenge people's beliefs, and talk to them about why they feel as they do. Children, in particular, are vulnerable to violent ideological propaganda via online extremist networks.
Radicalisation increases the risk that people will support terrorism or violent acts and may even cause them to commit criminal acts themselves. But how do you know if someone is being radicalised?
In this article we’ll discuss:
What is Radicalisation?
Radicalisation is the gradual process of moving from moderate beliefs within the spectrum of mainstream thought to dangerous, fringe, or extremist beliefs that promote violence and harm.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities published a definition of extremism in England in 2024. Extremism is defined as supporting or promoting an ideology based on violence, hatred, or intolerance with an aim to:
deny or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others
undermine or overturn the UK’s system of democracy and democratic rights
intentionally create an environment that permits or enables others to achieve either of the above.
Radicalisation isn’t just passive. People may use or excuse violence towards specific groups of people, prevent certain groups from using their legally defined rights and freedoms, seek to overthrow or change the political system unlawfully, or excuse violent attacks against public officials.
Common Myths About Radicalisation
People might imagine certain groups or people, be it young people or particular political or religious ideologies, when they think of radicalisation. While there might be some truth to these assumptions, they’re often embedded in myths about radicalisation.
These myths include:
It affects only one age group, culture, or background.
Most people exposed to extreme ideas do not become violent.
Radicalisation is just about the ideology.
In reality, radicalisation can affect anyone exposed to harmful materials. Often, it uses influence or preys upon vulnerabilities to pull people deeper into the ideology, slowly turning them to support violent acts or even commit them themselves.
How Radicalisation Happens
Radicalisation rarely happens overnight. Like the well-known frog-in-boiling-water analogy, the person being radicalised is gradually exposed to increasingly extreme content. To the individual, each step in the process may not seem alarming. But taken together, it can lead to harmful beliefs for both the individual and wider society.
Online content frequently drives radicalisation, particularly as algorithms can feed users similar material based on their browsing habits. Individuals may also connect with others who hold extremist beliefs, creating a sense of community even as they become more alienated from family and friends.
However, radicalisation does not occur only online. Peer groups can also play a role, including friends, religious communities, or even family members. Often, the process exploits real emotional factors in a person’s life, such as isolation, anger, or a sense of injustice, and weaponises them for ideological purposes.
Who is Most at Risk of Being Radicalised
While radicalisation can affect anyone, certain factors can make some individuals more vulnerable:
Young people, particularly those still forming their identity and beliefs.
Individuals experiencing isolation or loneliness who may be seeking a sense of belonging or purpose.
People facing discrimination or a strong sense of injustice.
Those going through major life changes or personal crises, such as family breakdown or bereavement.
Individuals regularly exposed to extremist content online.
People influenced by radicalised peers, including friends, family members, or community groups.
It’s important to remember that these factors do not automatically lead to radicalisation, but they can increase vulnerability when combined with exposure to extremist ideologies.
The Impact of Online Risks and Digital Influence
Radicalisation can occur in the real world, but there is no denying it has increased in recent years with the rise of online content.
Algorithms play a significant role in this trend. By design, they recommend material based on a user’s past behaviour. Over time, this can create a negative feedback loop, where individuals are exposed to increasingly extreme or violent content. What might initially seem shocking can gradually feel normalised by the end of the process.
Once these ideas begin to take hold, private messaging platforms and online forums can provide spaces where individuals reinforce beliefs they might never express publicly. This can deepen isolation and reduce exposure to alternative viewpoints.
It is easy to assume this process happens passively through algorithms alone.
However, ideological communities can also actively groom individuals, often using subtle, persistent tactics to draw them in further.
The Role of Schools, Employers, and Communities
The earlier radicalisation is identified, the easier it is to address harmful beliefs before they become deeply entrenched. Early awareness and education can interrupt the process by offering alternative perspectives and reframing how a person understands a particular issue. It can also highlight underlying factors in someone’s life (such as isolation, grief, or anger) that friends, family, and colleagues can help address.
Creating safe spaces for discussion is an important part of this. People are unlikely to speak openly about their beliefs, extremist or otherwise, if they feel judged or attacked. In some cases, confrontation can even push individuals further into those views. Constructive dialogue allows concerns to surface before they escalate.
However, if someone begins expressing radical views, staff must also know the appropriate steps to take. That means ensuring teams are trained to recognise warning signs and raise concerns through the proper safeguarding or reporting channels.
Compliance Training to Prevent Radicalisation
Preventing radicalisation starts with proper training. Staff need to understand how to identify vulnerable individuals, recognise warning signs, and follow the correct procedures if concerns arise. Awareness of the different forms of radicalisation and the common factors that increase vulnerability helps organisations intervene earlier and more effectively.
flick offers a Prevention of Radicalisation Training course designed for frontline staff who may come into contact with children, young people, or vulnerable adults. The course explains how to identify indicators of radicalisation, outlines practical strategies for prevention, and guides staff on what actions to take if concerns emerge.
Our Prevention of Radicalisation Training course is one of the only online courses approved by the Home Office which was featured in their Prevent Training catalogue in 2016. Something we’re still very proud of despite the catalogue being discontinued.
Explore flick’s Prevent Radicalisation Training to help your team recognise risks early and respond with confidence.
Keep up to date with all things flick, including our latest news and features, by signing up to our monthly newsletter and by making sure you are following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
Comments