Youth in danger: violence and extremism in the digital age!

Youth in danger: violence and extremism in the digital age!

The attacks in Villach and Munich as well as the plans for attacks on the Western station in Vienna have triggered alarming discussions among young people. The The ARGE youth against violence and racism in Graz reacts to this and increasingly offers prevention measures, since more and more teachers and students are looking for information on how to defend themselves against extremism and radicalization. Dominik Knes, Managing Director of the ARGE, points out the worrying trend that 90 percent of radicalization takes place over the Internet, especially social media. These platforms, such as Tikok, use targeted algorithms that make young people absorb ever deeper topics, which is becoming increasingly dangerous.

rapid development of extremism workshops

The ARGE reacted to the increasing inquiries and launched at short notice workshops for radicalization prevention. "We have to act quickly," says Knes, who emphasizes that schools currently have to accept waiting times of up to four weeks for these workshops. Last year 740 workshops were carried out, which underlines the urgency and the great need for prevention work among young people.

Additional research results from a divsi-studie are susceptible to extremist ideologies that you will find on the Internet. These developments are particularly alarming because trust in digital communication and security on the Internet is repeatedly taken up in the public debate. Joachim Gauck, patron of the Divsi, recently called for more courage to the challenges of digital communication and its security risks.