Seven in ten Dutch people fear online recruitment
A new security survey highlights concerns about criminal and terrorist influence on young people.
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Almost seven in ten Dutch people are very concerned about the online recruitment of young people. This is according to the summer survey of the Risk and Crisis Barometer, published by the NCTV on Monday.
The survey concerns influence via the internet to involve young people, for example, in crime or radicalisation. 67 per cent of respondents say they are very concerned about recruitment by organised crime; for terrorist groups, the figure is 69 per cent. The NCTV stresses that these are residents’ views and concerns, not a count of the number of young people recruited.
The survey was conducted between 13 and 21 July among residents of the Netherlands aged 15 and over. Participants were asked about various risks to national security and the extent to which they considered such events likely and serious. The new figures therefore primarily provide a picture of how society perceives the risk.
Responsibility is widely shared. In the case of recruitment by organised crime, 81 per cent name parents and carers as responsible for preventing it. For terrorist groups, the figure is 66 per cent, and for state actors 56 per cent. For the central government, the percentages range from 70 to 75 per cent, depending on the form of recruitment.
Online platforms are also seen as having a clear role. Between 51 and 65 per cent of participants believe that platforms bear responsibility for preventing recruitment. Almost nine in ten believe that platforms should take tougher action against illegal content. 56 per cent believe that the government should make rules for young people who use the internet.
A specific proposal also receives support in the survey: 69 per cent say they favour a statutory minimum age of 15 for social media. That figure shows that concerns about online safety quickly feed into a policy debate about age limits. In itself, it does not say what form of monitoring would be feasible or privacy-friendly.
Alongside the new survey, the issue is already being discussed by the government and municipalities. Last week, the cabinet presented a strategy for children’s online rights. On Monday, Rotterdam launched a campaign about online recruitment practices during the Week against Human Trafficking and is organising meetings for parents and professionals. Such measures focus on information and identifying warning signs, while age limits and platform responsibility still require political and legal decisions.
The NCTV reports that 42 per cent of residents took action in the past six months to prepare better for risks and threats. The barometer thus shows that online recruitment has become part of a broader security picture. The figures show how great the concern is, but not how often young people are actually approached or which approach is most effective.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The NCTV survey measures residents’ concerns and views.
- 67 per cent are very concerned about criminal online recruitment and 69 per cent about terrorist recruitment.
- In the survey, 69 per cent support a statutory minimum age of 15 for social media.
- Governments and municipalities are working on information, identifying warning signs and protecting children online.
Left
Arguments Platforms should bear far more responsibility for the environment in which young people are approached. Age limits, stricter moderation and obligations concerning design and oversight are defensible if voluntary self-regulation does not provide sufficient protection.
Values Children’s rights, prevention, equality and the protection of vulnerable young people.
Consequences Stricter rules could limit exposure to harmful networks, but would require effective enforcement and could lead to more data collection for age verification.
Centre
Arguments Parents, schools, municipalities, the police and platforms all have a role. The government can set minimum standards, but should assess measures for feasibility, privacy and evidence of effectiveness before introducing broad bans.
Values Proportionality, cooperation, legal certainty and empirical grounding.
Consequences A combination of information, reporting centres and targeted platform obligations could attract public support, but is unlikely to provide a quick solution to all forms of recruitment.
Right
Arguments The primary responsibility lies with parents and with prosecuting criminals and recruiters, not with general age bans or far-reaching control of all users. Platforms should tackle illegal content, but legal communication should not be unnecessarily restricted.
Values Parental authority, personal freedom, privacy and limited government.
Consequences This approach avoids broad surveillance and over-regulation, but may protect young people less effectively if parents or platforms miss warning signs and criminal networks move quickly.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The figures and survey period were checked against the current NCTV publication. The article clearly distinguishes between societal concerns and the actual scale of online recruitment.
- confirmed 67 per cent are very concerned about online recruitment by organised crime and 69 per cent about recruitment by terrorist groups. — These percentages appear in the NCTV publication of 12 October. source
- confirmed The summer survey was conducted between 13 and 21 July 2026 among residents aged 15 and over. — Methodological description in the NCTV publication. source
- confirmed 69 per cent support a statutory minimum age of 15 for social media. — Stated in the section on online recruitment in the NCTV publication. source
- confirmed Rotterdam launched a campaign against online recruitment practices on Monday. — Mentioned in the municipal announcement of 12 October. source
Editor's note
The percentages come from a perception survey among residents, not from law-enforcement figures. The NCTV published the results today; the effectiveness of age limits and platform measures has not yet been established.Sources
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