Counterterrorism agencies are grappling with a new generation of young people who are consuming ultraviolent content produced by extremist groups and their supporters.

After his arrest, investigators found the 12-year-old had been gorging on videos of decapitation and torture, including 1,739 jihadi videos and bomb-making tutorials.

The boy’s descent began with Quran searches and led to encrypted chats and ultraviolent propaganda from extremist groups like Islamic State. French prosecutor Paul-Edouard Lallois warned he risked becoming a “completely dehumanized soldier.”

Across Europe, minors are increasingly appearing on terror radars, with France’s anti-terror unit charging 19 minors in 2023 alone.

Extremist content is just a click away, with radicalization sometimes beginning through violent pornography or a fascination for gory images, leading to jihadi decapitations.