Hate Groups Recruit Children Through Online Games

Hate groups and terrorist networks are exploiting popular online games such as Minecraft and Roblox to recruit children, taking advantage of the platforms’ creative spaces and private servers. The United Nations’ Counter‑Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate found children now account for 42 percent of terrorism‑related investigations—a threefold rise since 2021—and International Center for Counter‑Terrorism data show that 20 to 30 percent of the counterterrorism workload in Europe now involves minors as young as 12 and 13.

Thomas Renard described the numbers as “shocking” and like “nothing we have ever seen before.” Extremists create game environments that can glorify violence, memorialize attacks or embed hate speech, and then steer young users from mainstream apps to less moderated channels such as Discord or Telegram.

Researchers have documented virtual worlds that simulate terrorist attacks, and specialists warn that groups often design content to appeal to children.

online games, minecraft, roblox, hate groups, terrorist networks, children recruitment, private servers, discord, telegram, counterterrorism