The EU needs to put more pressure on social media platforms that allow the radicalisation of young people, according to counterterrorism co-ordinator Bartjan Wegter. Wegter told the Financial Times that the online digital environment has become a Petri dish connecting various threats. He emphasized that the current EU digital rulebook on extremist content certainly doesn't cover all needs.

While acknowledging legislation could play a role, Wegter argued the focus should be on strengthened dialogue with the industry. The EU has not seen large-scale attacks in nearly a decade, but smaller individual attacks staged by online-recruited minors have risen sharply. Wegter described this as self-service terrorism, noting a huge increase in minors and young adolescents involved.

He criticized the limited results of existing industry dialogue, stating that if radicalisation continues to increase, something is wrong. Large platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok already face obligations under the Digital Services Act. Meta has run educational campaigns for users who followed removed terrorism accounts.

However, Wegter pointed to the more murky content that incites hatred but doesn't strictly qualify as terrorist material. In the US, Meta recently agreed to new safety features as part of an $18 billion court settlement. Wegter said a mix of pressure and dialogue is ideal, adding that social media impunity has come to an end.