SYDNEY ¨C One in five priority counter-terrorism cases investigated by Australia involved youth, the country¡¯s spy chief said on Friday, as the ¡°Five Eyes¡± intelligence partners warned about the radicalization of young ¡°digital natives.¡±

Mental health, education and social services needed to intervene in many cases before the behavior of minors became a police issue, said a research paper by the Five Eyes, which also include the U.S., Canada, Britain and New Zealand.

¡°Around 20% of ASIO¡¯s priority counter-terrorism cases involve young people. In every one of the terrorist attacks, disruptions and suspected terrorist incidents in Australia this year, the alleged perpetrator was a young person,¡± Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) Director-General Mike Burgess said in a statement.

¡°As a parent, the numbers are shocking. As an intelligence officer, the numbers are sobering,¡± he said.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) had investigated 35 teenagers age 17 years or younger, including a 12-year-old, in terrorism investigations since 2020, said AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw.

Over half of them were charged with offenses, he said.

In one Australian case described in the report, a 16-year-old involved in a local and international network shared violent extremist material calling for attacks on non-Caucasian people, and ¡°urged others to prepare for an upcoming race war to ¡¯defend the white race.¡¯¡±

The teenager had few real-world relationships and spent little time socializing offline, it said. He was arrested and sentenced to 18 months jail.

In another Australian case, a 14-year-old with nationalist and racist extremist views used a Snapchat account to plan a violent attack, and after being arrested by police undertook programs on countering violent extremism.

¡°We are witnessing the same extremist propaganda videos across multiple unrelated investigations, and this suggests that links exist in the online environment across platforms such as Discord, Telegram and TikTok,¡± said Kershaw.

Australia passed legislation this month to ban children under the age of 16 years from social media platforms starting late next year.