Youths are driving a ‘resurgent threat’ | Globalnews.ca

Global News investigation links ISIS to surging number of investigations across Canada .

Twenty suspects have been arrested this year and last, compared with just two in 2022 .

Police and experts say ISIS devotees are younger and more immersed in social media and gaming platforms.

Experts say TikTok , Snapchat, Discord , Reddit and Facebook are the preferred applications.

ISIS has benefited from geopolitical competition between Washington , Moscow and Russia ’s anti-western ally Iran .

The ISIS branch in South Asia , known as ISIS-K , has also been ramping up online propaganda calling for attacks in western countries.

The report described ISIS as a “persistent threat” to Canada , and said the group would continue attempts to inspire attacks in the West .

Many of the plots since then have been carried out by youths, with one U.S. study finding that two-thirds of the suspects arrested in Europe were between the ages of 13 and 19 .

RCMP intervention teams are working with community groups, engaging with those who have been identified as at risk.

Parents should be concerned about the gaming platforms and social media applications their children are using.