In the media
September 22, 2026
A recent piece in Humo explores how youth radicalisation is changing shape online and featured ICCT's Thomas Renard and Julian Lanchès. Renard discusses how today's extremist youth culture differs from earlier generations, less driven by coherent ideology, more by exposure to violent content, algorithmic feeds, and a craving for shock value and belonging. Lanchès adds a related angle, looking at how online "true crime" fandoms can tip into glorifying real-world violence, including school attacks, often fueled by a desire for attention and recognition. Together, their comments paint a picture of a faster, more chaotic radicalisation process than what counterterrorism researchers dealt with in the past.
Read the full article (in Dutch) here:
