The spread of destructive content on the Internet as a means of radicalizing young people: a criminological perspective

Alisa Malofeeva

UDC

343

VAK Russia

5.1.4

THE SPREAD OF DESTRUCTIVE CONTENT ON THE INTERNET AS A MEANS OF RADICALIZING YOUNG PEOPLE: A CRIMINOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE The spread of destructive content on the Internet as a means of radicalizing young people: a criminological perspective

АА Аа

Published in Russian Journal of Deviant Behavior · Pages 660–673 · Rubric: Criminological research on deviant behavior

Received: 05.11.2025 Accepted: 18.11.2025 Published: 26.12.2025 Language of publication: RUS

Authors

Alisa Malofeeva

ORCID

Alisa Malofeeva

Academic degree: candidate of jurisprudence sciences

Federal State Budget Educational Institution of Higher Education "Saint-Petersburg State University of Economics" Associate Professor · Department of Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure · Russian Federation · Saint-Petersburg

ORCID

ABSTRACT

Introduction. Despite the response of state authorities to new challenges and threats to national security, the crime situation in the country remains complex. Of particular concern is the involvement of young citizens of the Russian Federation in extremist and terrorist activities. Over the past two years, a third of all registered extremist crimes involve public calls for extremist activities made using mass media or information and telecommunication networks, including the Internet. At the same time, in 2024 among the total number of convicts under Part 2 of Article 280 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, the proportion of individuals aged 14 to 39 at the time of the crime was 64%, which indicates a trend towards radicalization and manifestations of extremism among young people. Policies to counter youth radicalization are often reactive rather than preventive in nature. Research methods. The article presents the results of a study using content analysis of current legislation, in particular, anti-extremist, legal doctrine, social networks and messengers, and legal statistics methods (summaries and typological, variational, and analytical data grouping). Results. The active spread of radical views and extremist sentiments among young people through the use of information and telecommunication technologies is confirmed by official statistics on registered crimes. At the same time, the level of latency of such offenses remains high, which is due to certain legal, ethical, technical and organizational factors. Based on the current set of challenges in countering digital radicalization of youth, as formulated by the author, it appears possible to develop mechanisms for enhancing the level of protection of the information space from the infiltration of destructive media content.

KEYWORDS

destructive content, radicalization, extremist organizations, youth extremism

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GOST

Malofeeva A. D. The spread of destructive content on the Internet as a means of radicalizing young people: a criminological perspective // . 2025. pp. 660-673. (Date of access 19.08.2026).

MLA

Alisa Malofeeva. "The spread of destructive content on the Internet as a means of radicalizing young people: a criminological perspective." (2025): 660-673.

APA

Malofeeva A. D. (2025). The spread of destructive content on the Internet as a means of radicalizing young people: a criminological perspective. , 660-673.

Chicago

Alisa Malofeeva. "The spread of destructive content on the Internet as a means of radicalizing young people: a criminological perspective." , no. (2025): 660-673.

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{{cite journal | author = Malofeeva A. D. | title = The spread of destructive content on the Internet as a means of radicalizing young people: a criminological perspective | journal = | year = 2025 | pages = 660-673 }}

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THE SPREAD OF DESTRUCTIVE CONTENT ON THE INTERNET AS A MEANS OF RADICALIZING YOUNG PEOPLE: A CRIMINOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE The spread of destructive content on the Internet as a means of radicalizing young people: a criminological perspective

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