Children being exposed to extremist content online, Ombudsman warns

James Cox

A study has found 63 per cent of children have come across extremist views online.

A study by the Children's Ombudsman has looked for the first time at the impact a rise in extreme views, racism and discrimination is having on kids here.

The survey carried out for the Ombudsan for Children Office looked at how emerging social issues in modern Ireland were affecting children.

It involved 626 students attending 28 secondary schools across the country.

While 63 per cent encountered extremist views online, just six per cent had come across them in real life.

One quarter felt their own friends had views they considered to be extreme, while 64 per cent associated such views with boys and men.

Eighty-four per cent said they hear negative comments about immigration and housing, while 61 per cent hear views that society should revert to 'traditional' gender roles, and just over half had heard people express that men are entitled to more authority than women.