في العالم الرقمي، لا صوت للرصاص، ولكن كل نقرة قد تزرع فكرة، وكل لعبة قد تحمل مشروعاً فكرياً، إذ تعمل شبكات التنظيمات المتطرفة على التوسع عبر منصات لم تُصمم أصلاً للإرهاب، لكنها تحولت إلى ساحات تجنيد، وواجهات دعائية تروّج للأفكار المتطرفة بلغة الترفيه، وتستدرج الفتيان من خلف شاشات منازلهم، داخل غرفهم،
هذه القنوات لم تعد تقليدية، ولم تعد علنية إنها ألعاب، وتطبيقات، ومحادثات، وقصص رقمية تُمرر بها سرديات الكراهية، وتُعيد عبرها تشكيل وعي الجيل الجديد، وتوجيه انفعالاته نحو «الآخر» بوصفه خصماً دائماً.
وكشفت دراسات نفسية حديثة أجرتها جامعات عالمية ومحلية عن وجود علاقة مباشرة بين الاستخدام المكثف للألعاب الإلكترونية ذات الطابع العنيف، وارتفاع مؤشرات السلوك العدواني والانغلاق الاجتماعي بين الأطفال والمراهقين. وفي دراسة صادرة عن جامعة هارفارد ونشرتها منصة Health Harvard، أكدت الجمعيات النفسية الأمريكية، أن التعرّض المستمر للمحتوى الرقمي العنيف يؤدي إلى خفض الاستجابة العاطفية، وارتفاع النزعات العدوانية تجاه الأقران، إلى جانب الميل لاستخدام العنف كحلّ في النزاعات اليومية.
وفي مراجعة شاملة نُشرت في مجلة Psychological Bulletin عام 2010م؛ شملت أكثر من 130 دراسة و130 ألف مشارك، خَلُص الباحثون إلى أن ألعاب الفيديو التي تتضمن محتوى قتالياً أو دموياً تُساهم في تعزيز الأفكار والسلوكيات العدائية، وتُقلل من التفاعل التعاوني والتعاطف مع الآخرين.
أما دراسة جامعة أوهايو، فقد اختبرت سلوك مجموعة من طلاب الجامعة لعبوا ألعاباً عنيفة لمدة 20 دقيقة يومياً على مدى ثلاثة أيام متتالية، وأظهرت النتائج زيادة تدريجية في الميل لتفسير تصرفات الآخرين على أنها عدائية، ما يشير إلى تطبيع داخلي للعنف على المستوى الإدراكي.
وفي دراسة أجرتها جامعة إنديانا عام 2006م، لوحظ أن مناطق التحكم في الدماغ -وتحديداً المرتبطة بضبط النفس- تقل استجابتها لدى المراهقين الذين يشاهدون مشاهد عنيفة مقارنة بمناظر طبيعية أو سلمية، ما يفتح المجال أمام ردود فعل انفعالية حادة خارج نطاق السيطرة الواعية.
قنوات تجنيد ناعمة
كشف المركز العالمي لمكافحة الفكر المتطرف «اعتدال»، أن التنظيمات الإرهابية وجّهت استثماراتها الفكرية والتقنية نحو الألعاب الإلكترونية والتطبيقات الرقمية باعتبارها «قنوات تجنيد ناعمة» تستهدف الأطفال والمراهقين تحت ستار الترفيه. وحسب المركز، فإن هذه القنوات لم تتوقف عند نقل الخطاب المباشر، بل باتت تعيد برمجة وعي النشء عبر سرديات تحضّ على العنف وتقدّس القتل بوصفه وسيلة للبطولة.
أوضحت تحليلات «اعتدال»، أن التطرف الرقمي يمرّ أولاً عبر ما أسماه «الإفلاس الأخلاقي»، إذ تغلب العاطفة على العقل داخل جماعات مغلقة، ويُضخم الخوف من الآخر، ويُغلق ذهن المتلقي أمام كلّ صوت مخالف، حتى يصير العنف مظهراً أخلاقياً بديلاً. وقد رصد المركز أكثر من سبع ألعاب إلكترونية أُنتجت بين 2000 و2018م، على يد مليشيات مثل «حزب الله» و«داعش»، تروّج لقتل «العدو» الافتراضي واستخدام الأسلحة والمتفجرات، وتكافئ اللاعب بنقاط تقدير على أعمال الدمار.
ولفت التقرير إلى أن بعض التطبيقات المتطرفة تحوي أكواداً خبيثة تسرق بيانات المستخدم وتبقي مفاتيح الاختراق فاعلة حتى بعد حذف البرنامج، فتسجل الأصوات والصور وتفتح غرفاً سرية لتبادل التعليمات. ويشير المركز إلى أن هذه التطبيقات تُصمَّم غالباً على هيئة ألعاب تعليمية بسيطة لجذب الفئة الصغيرة ثم تصنع عملية استقطاب مزدوجة؛ تجنيد فكري وتجسس إلكتروني.
وأظهرت بيانات «اعتدال» أنّ التحوّل من أداة ترفيه إلى منصة دعائية عبر ثلاث مراحل أساسية هي: خلق بيئة ترفيهية سطحية تُلهي الأسرة عن مستويات السرد المخفي، وتضمين رسائل طائفية أو تكفيرية في نصّ اللعبة أو التطبيق، وربط الانتصارات الافتراضية بالسعادة الحقيقية ليصبح الطفل مبرمجاً على رؤية العنف متعته الكبرى.
ووجّه المركز دعوة بسنّ تشريعات تجرّم إخفاق منصات التواصل والألعاب في إزالة المحتوى المتطرف فوراً، وتفرض لائحة تصنيف رقمي تحكم الألعاب والتطبيقات وفق مضامينها الأخلاقية والأيديولوجية، وليس بحسب العمر وحده. وأكد «اعتدال» أن توزيع المسؤولية بين الدولة والأسرة ومزوّدي الخدمة يشكل حجر الزاوية في تضييق الخناق على ناشري خطاب الكراهية.
ولأن الوقاية الأسَرية هي الدرع الأول، وضع «اعتدال» أربع توصيات عملية؛ منع استخدام الألعاب المتصلة بالإنترنت للأطفال دون 13 عاماً، متابعة نوعية المحتوى مع قراءة الرسائل الرمزية، فتح قنوات حوار يومية مع الأبناء حول تجربتهم الرقمية، تفعيل أدوات الرقابة الأبوية كتقنية مساعدة لا حلاً وحيداً.
منصة برمجة انفعالية
محلياً، كشفت دراسة حديثة نُشرت في المجلة السعودية للعلوم النفسية، أن ما يقارب 41% من الأطفال السعوديين في الفئة العمرية بين 10 و15 عاماً يمارسون ألعاباً تتضمن محتوى عنيفاً، وسط غياب الرقابة الأبوية المباشرة.
وأوضحت الدراسة أن هذا النمط من التفاعل الرقمي يُسهم في ارتفاع مؤشرات «الاحتقان السلوكي» داخل المدارس، ويؤثر سلباً على قدرة الطالب على التواصل الهادئ، كما يُعزز التهور وردود الفعل المندفعة، ويُضعف من مستوى التركيز والانضباط الذاتي.
ويؤكد الأخصائي النفسي الدكتور عمر الأسمر البنتان، أن قنوات التطرف الرقمي تُعيد تشكيل السلوك النفسي والعاطفي للأطفال والمراهقين داخل بيئة ترفيهية ظاهراً، وتحريضية في جوهرها، مشيراً إلى أن التطرف لا يظهر فجأة، بل ينمو تدريجياً في ظل غياب الرعاية النفسية والرقابة الأسرية، وتزايد الاعتماد على الأجهزة الذكية كبديل للتفاعل الإنساني.
وأوضح البنتان أن البيئة الرقمية، حين تُترك بلا ضوابط، تتحول إلى «منصة برمجة انفعالية» تُعيد تشكيل تصور الطفل للعالم، مشيراً إلى أن الألعاب التي تحتوي على محتوى عنيف لا تكتفي بتقديم مشاهد القتل، بل تُكافئ اللاعب على القتل، وتمنحه شعوراً بالانتصار كلما دمّر أكثر، ما يُربّي داخله مفهوماً خاطئاً مفاده أن العنف يؤدي إلى التفوق، وأن القوة لا تنفصل عن العدوان.
استعادة مكانة الأسرة
الأخصائي البنتان يرى أن الطفل حين يتفاعل يومياً مع هذا النمط من المحتوى، يدخل في حالة عقلية تُشبه التدريب النفسي على الاستجابة العنيفة، إذ يُصبح الانفعال الأولي لديه مرتبطاً بالهجوم، بدلاً من الحوار.
وحين تُسند تربية الطفل لشاشة، تُصبح تلك الشاشة المربي والموجّه والرفيق، ومع كل يوم غياب حواري بين الطفل ووالديه، تزداد احتمالية أن يملأ التنظيم أو اللعبة أو التطبيق هذا الفراغ النفسي.
وحذّر من أن التطرف الفكري يبدأ من تطرف انفعالي غير معالج، وغالباً ما تظهر علاماته المبكرة في نوبات الغضب، وتعظيم الذات، ورفض النقد، وتفضيل الحلول القتالية، وهي سمات تُنمّى داخل الألعاب التي تعزز قيم البقاء للأقوى.
وختم البنتان حديثه بالتأكيد على أن الأسرة تحتفظ بمكانة لا يُنافسها الذكاء الاصطناعي ولا أي محتوى رقمي، لكنها بحاجة لاستعادة هذه المكانة من خلال الحضور الواعي، والانخراط اليومي، والقدرة على بناء علاقة إنسانية تتجاوز التعليمات والمراقبة، نحو الفهم والمشاركة.
إعادة هندسة وعي الطفل
الأخصائي الاجتماعي عبدالله البقعاوي، قال: إن التحدي الحقيقي في مواجهة قنوات التطرف الرقمي لا يكمن فقط في طبيعة المحتوى، بل في الفراغ البنيوي داخل الأسرة الحديثة، مشيراً إلى أن التنظيمات المتطرفة تستغل الفراغ، وتقدّم نفسها بوصفها مرجعية بديلة تُغذي الانتماء وتُعيد تشكيل الهوية وفق سردياتها الخاصة.
وأوضح أن كثيراً من الأسر فقدت وظائفها التفاعلية الجوهرية، كالاحتواء، والحوار، وتقديم النموذج، ما دفع الأطفال والمراهقين إلى البحث عن مجتمع بديل داخل العالم الرقمي، يجدون فيه الاعتراف والتقدير والانتماء، وهي ثلاث حاجات نفسية واجتماعية تُعد أساسا في نظرية «الحاجات الرمزية» في علم الاجتماع الثقافي.
وأشار إلى أن المنصات التي تُنتجها الجماعات المتطرفة تُحاكي هذا النوع من الاحتياج عبر مجتمعات افتراضية مغلقة تمنح المستخدم شعوراً بالقبول، لكنها في المقابل تُعيد هندسة وعيه، وتُحمّله بمفاهيم تتناقض مع البناء القيمي الذي من المفترض أن تغرسه الأسرة والمدرسة والمجتمع المحلي.
وتابع البقعاوي: إن الطفل لا يبحث عن خطاب في البداية، بل يبحث عن صوت يسمعه، ورسالة تُشعره بالأهمية. وحين لا يجدها في محيطه الأسري، يتلقاها من شاشة تُصمَّم خصيصاً لتقول له ما يُريد سماعه.
وأكد أن العديد من نظريات علم الاجتماع، مثل «نظرية التعلّم الاجتماعي» لباندورا، و«نظرية التفكك الأسري» لوليام جود، تُشير إلى أن ضعف الروابط داخل الأسرة يُعد أحد المؤشرات التنبؤية للانحراف السلوكي والانجراف الفكري، خصوصاً في مرحلة المراهقة التي تُبنى فيها مفاهيم الهوية والانتماء والولاء.
وأشار إلى أن الاستخدام المفتوح للأجهزة الذكية جعل من غرف الأطفال فضاءات شبه مستقلة اجتماعياً، لا تخضع لرقابة مباشرة ولا تفاعل مستمر، وهو ما يضاعف احتمالية التكوين الفكري الموازي الذي ينسلخ تدريجياً من قيم الجماعة.
وختم البقعاوي حديثه بالدعوة إلى إعادة الاعتبار لدور الأسرة بوصفها المؤسسة الاجتماعية الأولى والأكثر تأثيراً، من خلال استعادة وظائفها الحوارية، وتوفير نماذج تفاعلية يومية تعيد تشكيل منظومة الانتماء، وتحول الأبناء من متلقّين عاطفيين إلى شركاء في الوعي والسلوك.
تكريس ما يُشاهد لا ما يجب!
الباحثة في الذكاء الاصطناعي الدكتورة شيهانة الحربي، في رأيها أن الخطر لا يكمن في المنصات وحدها، بل في آلية التوصية الخوارزمية التي تُعيد تقديم المحتوى الأكثر تفاعلاً دون مراجعة أخلاقية أو تربوية، مشيرة إلى أن الخوارزميات تتبع الإشارة الرقمية لا المعنى.
وأكدت أن الطفل حين يتفاعل مع فيديو متطرف أو لعبة ذات طابع عنيف، تبدأ المنصة بترشيح محتوى مشابه وأكثر حدة، ما يُحول التجربة الرقمية من اختيار شخصي إلى مسار تلقائي مبرمج، يُعيد تشكيل اهتماماته خارج أي منظومة قيمية محلية أو وطنية.
وختمت حديثها بالتنبيه إلى أن الذكاء الاصطناعي يُكرّس ما يُشاهد، لا ما يجب أن يُشاهد، ما يستدعي بناء منظومات تقنية تربط الخوارزمية بالمعيار التربوي، لا التفاعل العاطفي فقط.
غياب السؤال اليومي: من تقاتل؟
خبير تصميم الألعاب الرقمية عبدالله الشمري، قال: إن التنظيمات المتطرفة لا تستخدم الألعاب الرقمية مصادفة أو للترفيه الخالص، بل توظفها ضمن منظومة جذب واستقطاب تقوم على سرديات مموّهة وشخصيات مشفّرة ورسائل ترويجية تُزرع تدريجياً في وعي اللاعب، خصوصاً في الفئات العمرية الصغيرة.
وبيّن أن اللعبة الرقمية لا تُبنى فقط حول فكرة الفوز والخسارة، بل حول «من تنتصر عليه» و«لماذا يُقدَّم العدو بهذا الشكل»، مؤكداً أن كثيراً من الألعاب ذات الطابع القتالي تُعيد تشكيل صورة الآخر، وتُقنّن العنف، وتضع اللاعب في تجربة مشبعة بالشحن والانقسام، ما يُنتج تطبيعاً عدوانياً مغلفاً بالإثارة.
وأشار إلى أن أخطر الألعاب تُصمم خصيصاً لجذب المراهق الباحث عن هوية وانتماء ودور، فتوفر له منصة يشعر فيها بالقوة والتقدير والانتصار، لكنها في حقيقتها تُعيد توجيهه نحو أفكار تتناقض مع التعايش والتنوع، وتُغذّيه بمفاهيم تُمهّد لتطرف فكري أو عنصري لاحق وحين يتعامل الأب مع جهاز ابنه كأداة ترفيه فقط، يترك الباب مفتوحاً لدخول رسائل معقّدة لا يراها في الواجهة. كل لعبة تتضمن قصة، وكل قصة قد تحتوي على موقف فكري غير معلن. وحين يغيب السؤال اليومي: ماذا تلعب؟ من تقاتل؟ ولماذا؟.. تبدأ المسافة بين الأسرة وابنها في الاتساع.
ودعا الشمري إلى ضرورة تحوّل الأسرة من مراقب سلبي إلى شريك تفاعلي في التجربة الرقمية للطفل، من خلال الاطلاع على نوعية الألعاب، وسردياتها، والرموز التي تستخدمها، إلى جانب بناء حوار متصل حول ما يتفاعل معه الأبناء داخل هذه المساحات، مؤكداً أن الوقاية من التطرف الرقمي لا تبدأ من حظر الأجهزة، بل من تفعيل الدور الأسري الواعي في فهم آليات الجذب والإيحاء داخل الألعاب.
حذّروهممن الرسائل المشبوهة
شدّد المستشار القانوني مقرن الشويمان، على أن قنوات التطرف الرقمي لا تعمل في فراغ، بل تنشط داخل فراغ تنظيمي يُسهّل بث المحتوى المحرّض، واستهداف الفئات العمرية الحساسة بمضامين تتعارض مع القيم المجتمعية، دون مساءلة واضحة للجهات التقنية أو مقدّمي الخدمة.
وأوضح أن التنظيمات المتطرفة تستغل ضعف الرقابة على التطبيقات والألعاب، وتتحايل على أنظمة الحماية عبر منصات مفتوحة تُروّج للعنف والكراهية، تحت مظلة «الترفيه التفاعلي».
وأضاف أن الحماية القانونية لا تُبنى فقط على العقوبات، بل تبدأ من تشريع منظومة تصنيف رقمي للمحتوى التفاعلي، تُلزم المتاجر الرقمية، والمطورين، والمنصات، بتحديد هوية اللعبة أو التطبيق، وسرديتها، والقيم التي تنطوي عليها، تماماً كما هو معمول به في قوانين الإعلام المرئي.
وأشار إلى أن الأسرة، في ظل هذا الانكشاف التقني، لا يمكنها الاعتماد على أدوات الحظر أو الحجب فقط، بل تحتاج إلى معرفة حقوقها وواجباتها القانونية كطرف مسؤول في وقاية الأبناء، عبر التفاعل اليومي، وتثقيف الطفل قانونياً بشأن خطورة مشاركة المعلومات، أو التفاعل مع محتوى غير آمن، أو قبول رسائل مشبوهة.
وختم الشويمان حديثه بالتأكيد على أن التحصين القانوني يبدأ من التوعية المنزلية، ويتكامل مع الرقابة المؤسسية والتشريعات الرقمية، داعياً إلى تطوير لائحة وطنية لحماية الطفل من المحتوى الرقمي المتطرف، تشمل الأسرة، والمدرسة، والمطور، والمزود، بوصفهم جميعاً شركاء في الوقاية لا أطرافاً منفصلة.
تحديات غير بريئة
أكد الخبير الأمني اللواء متقاعد سليمان العقيلي، أن التنظيمات المتطرفة تستخدم قنوات الألعاب والتطبيقات الرقمية كواجهة آمنة لنشر الفكر والتحريض واستقطاب عناصر جديدة، مستغلة ضعف الرقابة، وسرعة التفاعل، وخفوت الوعي الأمني لدى المستخدمين.
وأشار إلى أن التطرف الرقمي لا يُبث عبر محتوى مباشر فحسب، بل يُمرر داخل غرف دردشة وتحديات جماعية تبدو بريئة، لكنها تُستخدم في بناء علاقة تدريجية مع المستهدفين، خصوصاً من الفئات العمرية الصغيرة.
ودعا العقيلي إلى ضرورة رفع مستوى الوعي الأمني داخل الأسرة، والتعامل مع الأجهزة الذكية كمساحات حساسة تستوجب المتابعة والتوجيه، لا كمجرد أدوات ترفيه، مؤكداً أن حماية المجتمع تبدأ من داخل المنزل، قبل أن تُعالج في الأنظمة.
ماذا يقول الآباء؟
أوضح رب الأسرة عبدالعزيز صالح المالك، أن دور الوالدين لا يقتصر على المراقبة، بل يمتد إلى مشاركة الأبناء في ما يشاهدونه ويلعبونه، مشيراً إلى أن الحوار المستمر والمتابعة الواعية تقلّص فرص الانجراف خلف محتوى مشبوه أو فكر متطرف.
فيما يؤكد رب الأسرة شهيل عبدالله السبر، أن الأجهزة الذكية منحت الأطفال عالماً بلا أسوار، وحين يغيب التوجيه الأسري، تُصبح المنصة الرقمية وسيلة لتكوين وعي بديل منفصل عن قيم المنزل، مشدداً على أن الحل يكمن في الحضور اليومي للأب والأم، لا في الحظر المؤقت.
«عكاظ» تخترق أسرار الاستدراج الناعم للأطفال
قنوات التطرُّف الرقمي !
22 أغسطس 2025 - 00:05
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آخر تحديث 22 أغسطس 2025 - 00:05
تابع قناة عكاظ على الواتساب
متعب العواد (حائل) Motabalawwd@
In the digital world, bullets have no voice, but every click can plant an idea, and every game can carry an intellectual project. Extremist organizations are expanding through platforms that were not originally designed for terrorism but have turned into recruitment grounds and propaganda fronts that promote extremist ideas in the language of entertainment, luring boys from behind the screens of their homes, inside their rooms.
These channels are no longer traditional, nor are they public; they are games, applications, conversations, and digital stories that pass on narratives of hatred, reshaping the consciousness of the new generation and directing its emotions towards "the other" as a constant adversary.
Recent psychological studies conducted by global and local universities revealed a direct relationship between the intensive use of violent video games and an increase in aggressive behavior and social withdrawal among children and adolescents. A study published by Harvard University and shared on the Health Harvard platform confirmed that continuous exposure to violent digital content leads to reduced emotional responsiveness and increased aggressive tendencies towards peers, alongside a tendency to use violence as a solution in daily conflicts.
In a comprehensive review published in the Psychological Bulletin in 2010, which included more than 130 studies and 130,000 participants, researchers concluded that video games featuring combat or bloody content contribute to enhancing aggressive thoughts and behaviors while reducing cooperative interaction and empathy towards others.
As for the Ohio University study, it tested the behavior of a group of university students who played violent games for 20 minutes daily over three consecutive days. The results showed a gradual increase in the tendency to interpret others' actions as aggressive, indicating an internal normalization of violence at the cognitive level.
In a study conducted by Indiana University in 2006, it was observed that the brain's control areas—specifically those related to self-regulation—showed reduced responsiveness in adolescents watching violent scenes compared to peaceful or natural landscapes, opening the door to intense emotional reactions beyond conscious control.
Softer Recruitment Channels
The Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology, "Ettidal," revealed that terrorist organizations have directed their intellectual and technical investments towards video games and digital applications as "soft recruitment channels" targeting children and adolescents under the guise of entertainment. According to the center, these channels do not stop at conveying direct rhetoric but have begun to reprogram the consciousness of youth through narratives that incite violence and sanctify killing as a means of heroism.
Analyses by "Ettidal" clarified that digital extremism first passes through what it termed "moral bankruptcy," where emotion prevails over reason within closed groups, amplifying fear of the other and closing the recipient's mind to any dissenting voice, until violence becomes an alternative moral expression. The center identified more than seven video games produced between 2000 and 2018 by militias such as "Hezbollah" and "ISIS," promoting the killing of the virtual "enemy" and the use of weapons and explosives, rewarding players with points for acts of destruction.
The report noted that some extremist applications contain malicious codes that steal user data and keep backdoor access active even after the program is deleted, recording sounds and images and opening secret rooms for exchanging instructions. The center points out that these applications are often designed as simple educational games to attract younger audiences, then create a dual recruitment process: ideological recruitment and electronic espionage.
Data from "Ettidal" showed that the transition from an entertainment tool to a propaganda platform occurs through three essential stages: creating a superficial entertainment environment that distracts the family from hidden narrative levels, embedding sectarian or takfiri messages in the game or application text, and linking virtual victories with real happiness, programming the child to see violence as their greatest pleasure.
The center called for legislation that criminalizes the failure of social media and gaming platforms to remove extremist content immediately and imposes a digital classification list that governs games and applications based on their ethical and ideological content, not just by age. "Ettidal" emphasized that distributing responsibility among the state, family, and service providers is a cornerstone in tightening the noose around hate speech disseminators.
Since family prevention is the first shield, "Ettidal" proposed four practical recommendations: prohibiting the use of internet-connected games for children under 13, monitoring the quality of content while reading symbolic messages, opening daily dialogue channels with children about their digital experiences, and activating parental control tools as a supportive technique, not a sole solution.
Emotional Programming Platform
Locally, a recent study published in the Saudi Journal of Psychological Sciences revealed that approximately 41% of Saudi children aged 10 to 15 engage in games that include violent content, amidst a lack of direct parental supervision.
The study indicated that this pattern of digital interaction contributes to increased indicators of "behavioral congestion" within schools and negatively affects students' ability to communicate calmly, while also enhancing recklessness and impulsive reactions, and weakening levels of focus and self-discipline.
Psychologist Dr. Omar Al-Asmar Al-Bintan emphasized that digital extremism channels reshape the psychological and emotional behavior of children and adolescents within an ostensibly entertaining environment, but one that is fundamentally provocative. He pointed out that extremism does not appear suddenly; rather, it gradually grows in the absence of psychological care and family supervision, alongside an increasing reliance on smart devices as a substitute for human interaction.
Al-Bintan explained that the digital environment, when left unchecked, transforms into an "emotional programming platform" that reshapes the child's perception of the world, noting that games containing violent content do not merely present scenes of killing but reward the player for killing, granting them a sense of victory the more they destroy, fostering within them a false notion that violence leads to superiority and that power is inseparable from aggression.
Restoring the Family's Status
Al-Bintan believes that when a child interacts daily with this type of content, they enter a mental state akin to psychological training for violent responses, as their initial emotional reaction becomes linked to attack rather than dialogue.
When a child's upbringing is entrusted to a screen, that screen becomes the educator, guide, and companion, and with each day of absent dialogue between the child and their parents, the likelihood increases that an organization, game, or application will fill this psychological void.
He warned that ideological extremism begins with unaddressed emotional extremism, and its early signs often manifest in outbursts of anger, self-aggrandizement, rejection of criticism, and a preference for violent solutions, traits that are nurtured within games that promote the survival of the fittest.
Al-Bintan concluded his remarks by asserting that the family retains a status unmatched by artificial intelligence or any digital content, but it needs to reclaim this status through conscious presence, daily engagement, and the ability to build a human relationship that transcends instructions and supervision, moving towards understanding and participation.
Reengineering the Child's Consciousness
Social specialist Abdullah Al-Buqai said that the real challenge in confronting digital extremism channels lies not only in the nature of the content but in the structural void within modern families. He pointed out that extremist organizations exploit this void and present themselves as an alternative reference that nourishes belonging and reshapes identity according to their own narratives.
He explained that many families have lost their essential interactive functions, such as containment, dialogue, and providing a model, which drives children and adolescents to seek an alternative community within the digital world, where they find recognition, appreciation, and belonging—three psychological and social needs that are fundamental in the theory of "symbolic needs" in cultural sociology.
He noted that platforms produced by extremist groups mimic this type of need through closed virtual communities that provide users with a sense of acceptance, but in return, they reengineer their consciousness and burden them with concepts that contradict the value structure that families, schools, and local communities are supposed to instill.
Al-Buqai continued that children do not initially seek discourse; they seek a voice to hear and a message that makes them feel important. When they do not find it in their family environment, they receive it from a screen designed specifically to tell them what they want to hear.
He affirmed that many sociological theories, such as Bandura's "Social Learning Theory" and William Jood's "Family Disintegration Theory," indicate that weak family ties are one of the predictive indicators of behavioral deviation and ideological drift, especially during adolescence, a stage where concepts of identity, belonging, and loyalty are formed.
He pointed out that the open use of smart devices has made children's rooms socially semi-independent spaces, not subject to direct supervision or continuous interaction, which increases the likelihood of parallel intellectual formation that gradually detaches from communal values.
Al-Buqai concluded his remarks by calling for a restoration of the family's role as the primary and most influential social institution, through reclaiming its dialogical functions and providing daily interactive models that reshape the system of belonging, transforming children from emotional recipients into partners in consciousness and behavior.
Reinforcing What is Watched, Not What Should Be!
AI researcher Dr. Shehana Al-Harbi believes that the danger lies not only in the platforms themselves but in the algorithmic recommendation mechanisms that re-present the most interactive content without ethical or educational review, noting that algorithms follow digital signals, not meanings.
She emphasized that when a child interacts with extremist videos or violent games, the platform begins to recommend similar and more intense content, transforming the digital experience from a personal choice to an automated programmed path that reshapes their interests outside any local or national value system.
She concluded her remarks by warning that artificial intelligence reinforces what is watched, not what should be watched, necessitating the construction of technical systems that link algorithms to educational standards, not just emotional interaction.
The Absence of the Daily Question: Who Are You Fighting?
Digital game design expert Abdullah Al-Shammari stated that extremist organizations do not use digital games by coincidence or for pure entertainment; rather, they employ them within a system of attraction and recruitment based on veiled narratives, encrypted characters, and promotional messages that are gradually implanted in the player's consciousness, especially among younger age groups.
He explained that digital games are not built solely around the idea of winning and losing but around "whom you triumph over" and "why the enemy is presented in this way," affirming that many combat-themed games reshape the image of the other, legitimize violence, and immerse the player in an experience filled with charge and division, producing an aggressive normalization cloaked in excitement.
He pointed out that the most dangerous games are specifically designed to attract adolescents seeking identity, belonging, and role, providing them with a platform where they feel power, appreciation, and victory, but in reality, they redirect them towards ideas that contradict coexistence and diversity, feeding them with concepts that pave the way for subsequent ideological or racial extremism. When a parent treats their child's device as merely a tool for entertainment, they leave the door open for complex messages that are not visible on the surface. Every game has a story, and every story may contain an unannounced ideological stance. When the daily question fades: What are you playing? Who are you fighting? And why?... the distance between the family and their child begins to widen.
Al-Shammari called for the necessity of transforming the family from a passive observer to an interactive partner in the child's digital experience, by being aware of the types of games, their narratives, and the symbols they use, alongside building continuous dialogue about what children engage with in these spaces. He emphasized that preventing digital extremism does not start with banning devices but with activating the family's conscious role in understanding the mechanisms of attraction and suggestion within games.
Beware of Suspicious Messages
Legal advisor Muqrin Al-Shuwaiman emphasized that digital extremism channels do not operate in a vacuum; rather, they thrive within an organizational void that facilitates the dissemination of inciting content and targets sensitive age groups with messages that contradict societal values, without clear accountability for technical entities or service providers.
He explained that extremist organizations exploit the weak oversight of applications and games, circumventing protection systems through open platforms that promote violence and hatred under the guise of "interactive entertainment."
He added that legal protection is not built solely on penalties but begins with legislating a digital content classification system that obliges digital stores, developers, and platforms to define the identity of the game or application, its narrative, and the values it entails, just as is done in visual media laws.
He pointed out that families, in light of this technological exposure, cannot rely solely on banning or blocking tools but need to understand their legal rights and responsibilities as a responsible party in protecting their children, through daily interaction and educating the child legally about the dangers of sharing information, interacting with unsafe content, or accepting suspicious messages.
Al-Shuwaiman concluded his remarks by asserting that legal fortification begins with home awareness and complements institutional oversight and digital legislation, calling for the development of a national list to protect children from extremist digital content, including families, schools, developers, and providers as all partners in prevention, not separate parties.
Uninnocent Challenges
Retired security expert Major General Suleiman Al-Aqili confirmed that extremist organizations use gaming channels and digital applications as a safe front to spread ideology, incite, and recruit new elements, exploiting weak oversight, rapid interaction, and the diminished security awareness of users.
He pointed out that digital extremism is not only broadcast through direct content but is also passed within chat rooms and seemingly innocent group challenges, which are used to build a gradual relationship with targeted individuals, especially among younger age groups.
Al-Aqili called for the necessity of raising security awareness within families and treating smart devices as sensitive spaces that require monitoring and guidance, not merely as entertainment tools, affirming that community protection begins at home before it is addressed in systems.
What Do Parents Say?
Family head Abdulaziz Saleh Al-Malik clarified that the role of parents is not limited to monitoring but extends to participating with their children in what they watch and play, noting that continuous dialogue and conscious follow-up reduce the chances of drifting towards suspicious content or extremist thought.
Meanwhile, family head Shahil Abdullah Al-Sabr affirmed that smart devices have given children a world without walls, and when family guidance is absent, the digital platform becomes a means to form an alternative consciousness separate from home values, stressing that the solution lies in the daily presence of both parents, not in temporary bans.
These channels are no longer traditional, nor are they public; they are games, applications, conversations, and digital stories that pass on narratives of hatred, reshaping the consciousness of the new generation and directing its emotions towards "the other" as a constant adversary.
Recent psychological studies conducted by global and local universities revealed a direct relationship between the intensive use of violent video games and an increase in aggressive behavior and social withdrawal among children and adolescents. A study published by Harvard University and shared on the Health Harvard platform confirmed that continuous exposure to violent digital content leads to reduced emotional responsiveness and increased aggressive tendencies towards peers, alongside a tendency to use violence as a solution in daily conflicts.
In a comprehensive review published in the Psychological Bulletin in 2010, which included more than 130 studies and 130,000 participants, researchers concluded that video games featuring combat or bloody content contribute to enhancing aggressive thoughts and behaviors while reducing cooperative interaction and empathy towards others.
As for the Ohio University study, it tested the behavior of a group of university students who played violent games for 20 minutes daily over three consecutive days. The results showed a gradual increase in the tendency to interpret others' actions as aggressive, indicating an internal normalization of violence at the cognitive level.
In a study conducted by Indiana University in 2006, it was observed that the brain's control areas—specifically those related to self-regulation—showed reduced responsiveness in adolescents watching violent scenes compared to peaceful or natural landscapes, opening the door to intense emotional reactions beyond conscious control.
Softer Recruitment Channels
The Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology, "Ettidal," revealed that terrorist organizations have directed their intellectual and technical investments towards video games and digital applications as "soft recruitment channels" targeting children and adolescents under the guise of entertainment. According to the center, these channels do not stop at conveying direct rhetoric but have begun to reprogram the consciousness of youth through narratives that incite violence and sanctify killing as a means of heroism.
Analyses by "Ettidal" clarified that digital extremism first passes through what it termed "moral bankruptcy," where emotion prevails over reason within closed groups, amplifying fear of the other and closing the recipient's mind to any dissenting voice, until violence becomes an alternative moral expression. The center identified more than seven video games produced between 2000 and 2018 by militias such as "Hezbollah" and "ISIS," promoting the killing of the virtual "enemy" and the use of weapons and explosives, rewarding players with points for acts of destruction.
The report noted that some extremist applications contain malicious codes that steal user data and keep backdoor access active even after the program is deleted, recording sounds and images and opening secret rooms for exchanging instructions. The center points out that these applications are often designed as simple educational games to attract younger audiences, then create a dual recruitment process: ideological recruitment and electronic espionage.
Data from "Ettidal" showed that the transition from an entertainment tool to a propaganda platform occurs through three essential stages: creating a superficial entertainment environment that distracts the family from hidden narrative levels, embedding sectarian or takfiri messages in the game or application text, and linking virtual victories with real happiness, programming the child to see violence as their greatest pleasure.
The center called for legislation that criminalizes the failure of social media and gaming platforms to remove extremist content immediately and imposes a digital classification list that governs games and applications based on their ethical and ideological content, not just by age. "Ettidal" emphasized that distributing responsibility among the state, family, and service providers is a cornerstone in tightening the noose around hate speech disseminators.
Since family prevention is the first shield, "Ettidal" proposed four practical recommendations: prohibiting the use of internet-connected games for children under 13, monitoring the quality of content while reading symbolic messages, opening daily dialogue channels with children about their digital experiences, and activating parental control tools as a supportive technique, not a sole solution.
Emotional Programming Platform
Locally, a recent study published in the Saudi Journal of Psychological Sciences revealed that approximately 41% of Saudi children aged 10 to 15 engage in games that include violent content, amidst a lack of direct parental supervision.
The study indicated that this pattern of digital interaction contributes to increased indicators of "behavioral congestion" within schools and negatively affects students' ability to communicate calmly, while also enhancing recklessness and impulsive reactions, and weakening levels of focus and self-discipline.
Psychologist Dr. Omar Al-Asmar Al-Bintan emphasized that digital extremism channels reshape the psychological and emotional behavior of children and adolescents within an ostensibly entertaining environment, but one that is fundamentally provocative. He pointed out that extremism does not appear suddenly; rather, it gradually grows in the absence of psychological care and family supervision, alongside an increasing reliance on smart devices as a substitute for human interaction.
Al-Bintan explained that the digital environment, when left unchecked, transforms into an "emotional programming platform" that reshapes the child's perception of the world, noting that games containing violent content do not merely present scenes of killing but reward the player for killing, granting them a sense of victory the more they destroy, fostering within them a false notion that violence leads to superiority and that power is inseparable from aggression.
Restoring the Family's Status
Al-Bintan believes that when a child interacts daily with this type of content, they enter a mental state akin to psychological training for violent responses, as their initial emotional reaction becomes linked to attack rather than dialogue.
When a child's upbringing is entrusted to a screen, that screen becomes the educator, guide, and companion, and with each day of absent dialogue between the child and their parents, the likelihood increases that an organization, game, or application will fill this psychological void.
He warned that ideological extremism begins with unaddressed emotional extremism, and its early signs often manifest in outbursts of anger, self-aggrandizement, rejection of criticism, and a preference for violent solutions, traits that are nurtured within games that promote the survival of the fittest.
Al-Bintan concluded his remarks by asserting that the family retains a status unmatched by artificial intelligence or any digital content, but it needs to reclaim this status through conscious presence, daily engagement, and the ability to build a human relationship that transcends instructions and supervision, moving towards understanding and participation.
Reengineering the Child's Consciousness
Social specialist Abdullah Al-Buqai said that the real challenge in confronting digital extremism channels lies not only in the nature of the content but in the structural void within modern families. He pointed out that extremist organizations exploit this void and present themselves as an alternative reference that nourishes belonging and reshapes identity according to their own narratives.
He explained that many families have lost their essential interactive functions, such as containment, dialogue, and providing a model, which drives children and adolescents to seek an alternative community within the digital world, where they find recognition, appreciation, and belonging—three psychological and social needs that are fundamental in the theory of "symbolic needs" in cultural sociology.
He noted that platforms produced by extremist groups mimic this type of need through closed virtual communities that provide users with a sense of acceptance, but in return, they reengineer their consciousness and burden them with concepts that contradict the value structure that families, schools, and local communities are supposed to instill.
Al-Buqai continued that children do not initially seek discourse; they seek a voice to hear and a message that makes them feel important. When they do not find it in their family environment, they receive it from a screen designed specifically to tell them what they want to hear.
He affirmed that many sociological theories, such as Bandura's "Social Learning Theory" and William Jood's "Family Disintegration Theory," indicate that weak family ties are one of the predictive indicators of behavioral deviation and ideological drift, especially during adolescence, a stage where concepts of identity, belonging, and loyalty are formed.
He pointed out that the open use of smart devices has made children's rooms socially semi-independent spaces, not subject to direct supervision or continuous interaction, which increases the likelihood of parallel intellectual formation that gradually detaches from communal values.
Al-Buqai concluded his remarks by calling for a restoration of the family's role as the primary and most influential social institution, through reclaiming its dialogical functions and providing daily interactive models that reshape the system of belonging, transforming children from emotional recipients into partners in consciousness and behavior.
Reinforcing What is Watched, Not What Should Be!
AI researcher Dr. Shehana Al-Harbi believes that the danger lies not only in the platforms themselves but in the algorithmic recommendation mechanisms that re-present the most interactive content without ethical or educational review, noting that algorithms follow digital signals, not meanings.
She emphasized that when a child interacts with extremist videos or violent games, the platform begins to recommend similar and more intense content, transforming the digital experience from a personal choice to an automated programmed path that reshapes their interests outside any local or national value system.
She concluded her remarks by warning that artificial intelligence reinforces what is watched, not what should be watched, necessitating the construction of technical systems that link algorithms to educational standards, not just emotional interaction.
The Absence of the Daily Question: Who Are You Fighting?
Digital game design expert Abdullah Al-Shammari stated that extremist organizations do not use digital games by coincidence or for pure entertainment; rather, they employ them within a system of attraction and recruitment based on veiled narratives, encrypted characters, and promotional messages that are gradually implanted in the player's consciousness, especially among younger age groups.
He explained that digital games are not built solely around the idea of winning and losing but around "whom you triumph over" and "why the enemy is presented in this way," affirming that many combat-themed games reshape the image of the other, legitimize violence, and immerse the player in an experience filled with charge and division, producing an aggressive normalization cloaked in excitement.
He pointed out that the most dangerous games are specifically designed to attract adolescents seeking identity, belonging, and role, providing them with a platform where they feel power, appreciation, and victory, but in reality, they redirect them towards ideas that contradict coexistence and diversity, feeding them with concepts that pave the way for subsequent ideological or racial extremism. When a parent treats their child's device as merely a tool for entertainment, they leave the door open for complex messages that are not visible on the surface. Every game has a story, and every story may contain an unannounced ideological stance. When the daily question fades: What are you playing? Who are you fighting? And why?... the distance between the family and their child begins to widen.
Al-Shammari called for the necessity of transforming the family from a passive observer to an interactive partner in the child's digital experience, by being aware of the types of games, their narratives, and the symbols they use, alongside building continuous dialogue about what children engage with in these spaces. He emphasized that preventing digital extremism does not start with banning devices but with activating the family's conscious role in understanding the mechanisms of attraction and suggestion within games.
Beware of Suspicious Messages
Legal advisor Muqrin Al-Shuwaiman emphasized that digital extremism channels do not operate in a vacuum; rather, they thrive within an organizational void that facilitates the dissemination of inciting content and targets sensitive age groups with messages that contradict societal values, without clear accountability for technical entities or service providers.
He explained that extremist organizations exploit the weak oversight of applications and games, circumventing protection systems through open platforms that promote violence and hatred under the guise of "interactive entertainment."
He added that legal protection is not built solely on penalties but begins with legislating a digital content classification system that obliges digital stores, developers, and platforms to define the identity of the game or application, its narrative, and the values it entails, just as is done in visual media laws.
He pointed out that families, in light of this technological exposure, cannot rely solely on banning or blocking tools but need to understand their legal rights and responsibilities as a responsible party in protecting their children, through daily interaction and educating the child legally about the dangers of sharing information, interacting with unsafe content, or accepting suspicious messages.
Al-Shuwaiman concluded his remarks by asserting that legal fortification begins with home awareness and complements institutional oversight and digital legislation, calling for the development of a national list to protect children from extremist digital content, including families, schools, developers, and providers as all partners in prevention, not separate parties.
Uninnocent Challenges
Retired security expert Major General Suleiman Al-Aqili confirmed that extremist organizations use gaming channels and digital applications as a safe front to spread ideology, incite, and recruit new elements, exploiting weak oversight, rapid interaction, and the diminished security awareness of users.
He pointed out that digital extremism is not only broadcast through direct content but is also passed within chat rooms and seemingly innocent group challenges, which are used to build a gradual relationship with targeted individuals, especially among younger age groups.
Al-Aqili called for the necessity of raising security awareness within families and treating smart devices as sensitive spaces that require monitoring and guidance, not merely as entertainment tools, affirming that community protection begins at home before it is addressed in systems.
What Do Parents Say?
Family head Abdulaziz Saleh Al-Malik clarified that the role of parents is not limited to monitoring but extends to participating with their children in what they watch and play, noting that continuous dialogue and conscious follow-up reduce the chances of drifting towards suspicious content or extremist thought.
Meanwhile, family head Shahil Abdullah Al-Sabr affirmed that smart devices have given children a world without walls, and when family guidance is absent, the digital platform becomes a means to form an alternative consciousness separate from home values, stressing that the solution lies in the daily presence of both parents, not in temporary bans.