IDSB INVITED TO GIVE EVIDENCE TO HOME OFFICE COMMITTEE INQUIRY:  COMBATTING NEW FORMS OF EXTREMISM 

Professor Laura Smith, co-director on the Institute for Digital Security and Behaviour (IDSB) will give oral evidence as part of the Home Affairs Committee inquiry on Combatting new forms of extremism. The panel is on 15 July 2025 at 2.30.

The inquiry is examining the drivers of extremism in the UK, with a focus on emerging trends of young people being drawn into extremism, violence and crime through online radicalisation. It will assess whether the Government’s approach is keeping pace with the evolving threat and evaluate the effectiveness of measures such as Prevent in combatting new forms of extremism. 

IDSB was invited to Westminster following the submission of written evidence to the inquiry. The IDSB response is based on our researchers’ extensive portfolio of published work relating to online harms and extremism, in particular mapping the forces by which extremist networks form online, and the processes by which online attitudes translate into offline actions.  

 The Committee are interested in hearing about drivers (including the psychology) of extremism and radicalisation, definitions of extremism, emerging trends and effective approaches to identify and prevent young people from being radicalised, including the role of Prevent.  

We look forward to engaging with the committee and providing additional insight on this subject based on research.