Youth Radicalisation and Terrorist Recruitment via Telegram: A UK Security Threat
Divya Narvekar | 1 April 2025
Christian Wiediger/Unsplash
Summary
Youth radicalisation via Telegram poses a growing security threat in the United Kingdom (UK), as extremist groups exploit the platform’s encryption, anonymity, and private channels to spread propaganda, recruit members, and coordinate activities.
Self-radicalised individuals may execute low-cost, high-impact attacks, making prevention difficult. Telegram’s privacy features limit surveillance, making it harder for MI5, GCHQ, and counterterrorism units to track threats.
Self-radicalised individuals influenced by extremist propaganda will likely increase, leading to a rise in online extremist activity, terror plots and arrests.
Telegram has emerged as a key platform for youth radicalisation in the UK in recent years, exploited by extremist groups to spread propaganda, recruit followers, and coordinate potential attacks. Organisations such as ISIS, far-right extremists, and other radical groups use encrypted channels to target vulnerable young individuals, often between the ages of 15 and 25. This has intensified since the mid-2010s, with platforms like Telegram becoming a preferred tool for online radicalisation due to its anonymity and lack of strict content regulation. The UK’s intelligence agencies, including MI5 and the Counter-Terrorism Police, recognise this as a major security threat, requiring enhanced monitoring and intervention strategies.
A September 2017 study by the British think tank Policy Exchange found that online extremist content attracts more clicks in the UK than elsewhere in Europe. Worldwide, the UK is the fifth most frequent location for accessing jihadist content. The study further claimed that the majority of the British public would support legislation criminalising reading online content that glorifies terrorism.
The government faces pressure to balance national security with digital privacy rights, fueling debates over encryption laws and surveillance policies. Since July 2006, when the British government introduced its Counter-Terrorism Strategy (CONTEST), the internet has been identified as a domain “where many types of radical views are strongly promoted.”. The Counter Terrorism Police (CTP) operates as a specialist law enforcement unit in the UK, working to tackle terrorism. The UK Counter Terrorism Police focuses on detecting, preventing, and responding to terrorism-related activities. They collaborate with various organisations to identify threats, disrupt extremist networks, and safeguard communities. Their initiatives include public awareness campaigns, deradicalisation programs, and monitoring online activities to counter extremist propaganda.
Telegram’s CEO, Pavel Durov, was arrested in France on August 24, 2024, based on allegations that Telegram facilitated criminal activities due to insufficient moderation policies. Telegram’s decentralised nature and reluctance to remove extremist content hinder proactive countermeasures. Encrypted messaging limits intelligence agencies' ability to track and disrupt radical networks. The platform is also used to facilitate cryptocurrency transactions and fund extremist activities while avoiding traditional financial oversight.
The use of Telegram by terrorist groups transcends national borders, enabling collaboration between UK-based extremists and overseas operatives. This international dimension has been seen in the dissemination of ISIS propaganda, the recruitment of foreign fighters, and the global sharing of tactical information. Telegram's global reach allows UK-based extremists to connect with foreign terrorist organisations. It provides direct access to jihadist networks in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia, which can facilitate the spread of global jihadist narratives and provide logistical or financial support.
Self-radicalised individuals influenced by content on Telegram may execute low-tech but deadly attacks, increasing the unpredictability of threats. Telegram offers encrypted messaging services through “Secret Chats” and the ability to use self-destructing messages. This makes it difficult for law enforcement agencies to track communications between individuals or groups involved in terrorist activities. The platform's commitment to privacy through encryption allows extremists to communicate freely without fear of interception. Unlike other social media platforms, Telegram’s end-to-end encryption can provide terrorists with a higher degree of operational security, making it harder for counter-terrorism authorities to access their communications.
Forecast
Short-term (Now - 3 months)
It is likely that the UK will see an increase in self-radicalized individuals as more youth may be drawn into extremist ideologies via Telegram, leading to an uptick in arrests, foiled plots, and lone-wolf attempts.
It is likely that Telegram’s encryption will continue to hinder intelligence gathering, forcing agencies to rely on OSINT (open-source intelligence) and informants.
Medium-term (3-12 months)
There is a realistic possibility that the UK government may push for stronger regulations, requiring Telegram to cooperate with law enforcement.
It is likely that intelligence agencies will invest in AI-driven monitoring, behavioural analytics, and OSINT to track radical activity.
It is likely that encrypted platforms may facilitate better coordination of small terror cells, leading to more planned, multi-target attacks rather than lone-wolf incidents.
Long-term (>1 year)
There is a realistic possibility that extremists may shift to newer encrypted platforms, AI-generated content, and deepfake propaganda to bypass monitoring.
It is likely that, within the next year, the UK government may introduce a policy on digital surveillance and regulation following growing pressure on Telegram and similar platforms to comply with anti-terror regulations, potentially leading to bans or stricter monitoring laws.
