Court describes online radicalisation and AI use in teenager's terror case

UPDATE: A teenager sentenced over preparations for a possible terrorist attack in Sydney told the court that online extremist material and conversations influenced his thinking. The case included his account of using an AI chatbot while researching possible plans. The reporting does not establish that a platform independently intended or directed the offending.

The 16-year-old, who cannot be identified, pleaded guilty to preparing for or planning a terrorist act. He had just turned 14 when the conduct occurred in 2024. The New South Wales Supreme Court imposed a three-year community corrections order rather than imprisonment.

The sentencing decision described exposure to increasingly violent online material and efforts to seek approval from others. The judge found the teenager had no concrete attack plan and had not obtained bomb-making materials. Those limits are important when distinguishing research and preparatory conduct from an attack carried out.

Justice Stephen Campbell accepted the teenager had genuinely rejected violent extremism, expressed remorse and made substantial progress in rehabilitation. The sentence reflects the circumstances and evidence in this case, not a general exemption from custody for serious offences involving minors.

The broader concern is how young people move between mainstream content, extremist communities and information services. That policy issue is separate from the court's findings about this teenager. No operational details of the researched methods are needed to explain the case.