Inquiry evidence points to younger radicalisation and the role of online misogyny
Evidence discussed in the parliamentary radicalisation inquiry during the week of 9 November describes faster pathways into extremism, younger participants and beliefs that do not always fit one coherent ideology. This is a background report on the 11 November account of that evidence, not a claim that a new hearing occurred on 15 November. Experts urged earlier intervention, including treating vulnerable children as possible victims of grooming.
Dor Foundation researcher Josh Roose said teachers were not trained to identify extreme political views, but reporting concerns could improve the intelligence picture and allow intervention before a terrorism designation. Committee chair Raff Ciccone said gaming and chat platforms, alongside recommendation algorithms, were important to understanding how children encountered extremist material. Weak age checks and detection on major services were also raised.
Submissions described risks on gaming and messaging services outside the social-media minimum-age rules, including Discord and Telegram, and on fringe forums. AFP-cited research found violent fringe content was often encountered on large platforms as well. Roose said provocative posts and unmoderated comments on pages presenting as news deserved attention. His foundation examined about 2,500 abusive posts directed at royal commission witnesses.
Meta said it acted on about six million items of hateful-conduct content on Facebook and Instagram in the six months to June 2026. It separately said algorithms screened more than 20 million daily uploads and removed 98 percent of all violating content in Australia before user reports. Those are company-reported measures with different scopes; neither proves all extremist content was found. Meta also described its search-redirection partnership with Step Together, an early-intervention support service.
Teach Us Consent reported 230 participants in counter-violent-extremism programs, two-thirds aged 10 to 24 and all male. University of Melbourne researcher Sara Meger's submission linked acceptance of violence against women with support for violent extremism and argued that preventing misogyny should be part of prevention work. Roose cited a 28-country survey in which the share of young men denying equal rights to women rose from about 4 percent in 2019 to 12 percent in 2024. These are reported research findings, not a description of all boys or young men.
Other evidence connected anger, humiliation, insecure work, family breakdown and childhood trauma with susceptibility to groups offering belonging and status. ACT commissioner Jodie Griffiths-Cook and researcher Kristy Campion described how early adversity could affect attachment and emotional regulation. The common policy question is how families, schools, services and platforms can interrupt grooming before grievance turns into harm, without treating every troubled child as a terrorist.