How Do Terrorist Networks Recruit 110 Children in Indonesia?

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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian National Police's Counterterrorism Unit, Densus 88, claimed that a terrorist network has recruited 110 children in 23 provinces across Indonesia throughout 2025. The recruitment was conducted through digital channels, including online games.

Densus 88 spokesperson, Grand Commissioner Mayndra Eka Wardhana, revealed that there's an uptick in children recruitment by terror networks. From 2011 to 2017, Mayndra said around 17 children had fallen victim to terrorist recruitment, but this year alone, around 110 children have been identified.

"We come to the conclusion that this is a massive process," he said in a press conference on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, referring to children recruitment by terrorist groups through digital channels, including social media and online games.

The children recruited are aged between 10 and 18 years old.

Densus 88 has apprehended five suspects involved in recruiting children and students, namely FW alias JT, LM, PP, MSPO, and JJS alias BS, from three separate arrests from late December 2024 to Monday, November 17, 2025.

How do terrorist networks recruit children?

Head of Public Relations Bureau of the Indonesian National Police's Public Relations Division, Brigadier General Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko, said the recruiters spread propaganda in phases.

During the initial recruitment process, members of the terrorist groups would circulate propaganda on open platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and online games. After identifying potential targets, the perpetrators contacted them privately through closed platforms, such as WhatsApp or Telegram.

"The perpetrators disseminate propaganda in attractive packages of short videos, animations, memes, and music to build rapport and trigger ideological interest," he said.

After the initial, more public-facing phase, the children are then approached in private channels. The police found special social media groups used to accommodate the children they have recruited. It is through these groups, that intensive indoctrination then takes place.

Police probes also reveal that several factors, such as bullying, broken families, and familial neglect, make children more susceptible to being dragged into joining terror groups. Other contributing factors include the phase of seeking self-identity, social marginalization, and low digital literacy and understanding of religion.

Meanwhile, the chief of the National Counterterrorism Agency, Commissioner General Eddy Hartono, said the bomber at the State High School (SMAN) 72 in Jakarta was also part of a group called the True Crime Community. The group itself is not affiliated with terrorist networks, but it is one of his inspirations.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Communication and Digital has handled as many as 8,320 contents containing radicalism and terrorism over the past year, from October 2024 to November 2025.

Director General of Digital Space Surveillance, Alexander Sabar, said that most content was found on Meta (Facebook). There were also contents found on Google, TikTok, X, Telegram, file sharing, Snack Video, and 10 other sites.

Alex explained that out of the 8,320 contents, 8,275 of them were reports submitted by the relevant ministry/institution, including Densus 88, the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT), to the Indonesian military. "From Densus 88, we received 6,426 reports, from BNPT 1,836. There were 11 from intelligence, 1 from TNI, and 1 from the Army's Cyber Security and Cipher Center," said Alex.