Social media makes it harder to know who children meet online. How can you break through?
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In the years and months leading up to the deadly shooting at Abundant Life Christian School, Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow repeatedly threatened to take her life, was flagged for idolizing past school shooters and made TikTok videos demonstrating her salvo of tactical gear and guns.
Rupnow’s influencers were part of a larger movement to accelerate violence and bring an end to humanity.
That deeply enmeshed interest doesn’t come out of nowhere, said Tony Thrasher, the immediate past president of the Wisconsin Psychiatric Association.
Social media has made it harder for family members, teachers, guardians, mentors and others to understand the kinds of people their children are getting to know, because much of it can happen privately, online.
Among those who become radicalized in Wisconsin, about a quarter are exposed by the time they’re 22, according to data from START, a Department of Homeland Security center led by the University of Maryland.
But much can be done, Thrasher said, to pull young people away from these groups before a violent act occurs.
Here are the signs, symptoms and guidelines to talking to children or students about exposures to radicalization.
What signs should you pay attention to?
Signs of a child becoming radicalized can be tricky, said Thrasher, since the same signs associated with radicalization could also potentially point to a child being abused, having a tough time with a friend, doing poorly in school or experimenting with substances.
Content retrieved from: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2025/08/06/is-my-child-getting-radicalized-here-are-the-signs-to-look-for/85281021007/.
