Digital Jihad: How Gen-Z is Powering a New Wave of ISIS Online Propaganda
Introduction: A Dangerous Digital Mutation
In the post-territorial era of the Islamic State (ISIS), a concerning evolution is taking shape in the shadows of cyberspace. While the group’s central command in Iraq and Syria has been largely dismantled, its ideological footprint continues to thrive online—particularly through a network of unofficial, decentralised propaganda outlets. These channels, no longer relying solely on sanctioned media wings like Al-Hayat or Amaq, are operated by anonymous supporters and tech-savvy youth across continents. Alarmingly, a growing number of minors are not only consuming Islamic State content but actively producing, remixing, and disseminating it. This emerging trend marks a disturbing intersection of adolescent rebellion, digital extremism, and the enduring global threat posed by ISIS.
A New Generation of Radicalised Youth
The year 2024 marked a disturbing escalation in the role of minors within the Islamic State’s online architecture. According to data compiled by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, at least 42 minors under 18 were arrested across Europe for activities tied to Islamic State attacks, planning, or online propaganda operations. Among the most high-profile cases was a 12-year-old boy in Besançon, France, who downloaded over 1,700 jihadist videos, posted Islamic State execution content across multiple platforms, and created weapon-wielding jihadi avatars in video games.
Similar stories unfolded across Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. In March 2024, an 11-person micro-network of teenagers was dismantled after allegedly plotting an attack on the iconic Le Botanique concert venue in Brussels. Another 14-year-old Austrian boy was found in February 2025 with bomb-making instructions and materials, as well as multiple extremist accounts on TikTok.
These are not isolated incidents but rather the manifestation of an emerging online subculture dubbed the “Alt-Jihad.” This digital phenomenon merges Gen-Z aesthetics, gaming culture, and extremist ideology, particularly via platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Discord, and Telegram.
The Unofficial Digital Caliphate: A Parallel Media Universe
Contrary to the prevailing narrative of ISIS’s defeat, the group’s unofficial media ecosystem is thriving—largely undetected and unregulated. Research conducted in early 2025 identified at least 93 distinct unofficial Islamic State media outlets operating across Facebook, Telegram, TikTok, Instagram, Element, and WhatsApp. These are not mere fringe accounts. Some boast follower counts exceeding 20,000, operate in over 20 languages, and employ advanced digital tactics to avoid detection.
While these groups are not formally linked to ISIS’s central media command, they function with ideological alignment and occasionally remix official content. They frequently adopt the branding of legitimate news organisations, run AI-generated propaganda campaigns, and create custom content embedded with coded messaging designed to bypass content moderation systems.
Key Platforms in the Unofficial ISIS Ecosystem
The digital battlefield spans across familiar and lesser-known platforms:
Facebook: Over 300 unofficial Islamic State-linked accounts and 15 active pages, some using ‘Professional Mode’ to monetise content.
TikTok and Instagram: At least 100 combined accounts remix and share both official and unofficial propaganda, often with Gen-Z visual flair.
Telegram and Element: Used for deeper ideological engagement, coordination, and recruitment.
WhatsApp: Serves as a secondary sharing platform and conduit for new members.
X (formerly Twitter): High turnover due to rapid takedowns, yet some accounts even operated with paid premium subscriptions, raising ethical questions about platform oversight.
These platforms are used not just for content dissemination but also for recruitment, ideological training, and attacks on perceived enemies—both online and offline.
Case Studies: Inside the Unofficial ISIS Propaganda Engine
1. ‘Global Events’: A Disinformation Powerhouse
The most prominent of these unofficial outlets, ‘Global Events,’ boasts over 22,000 Facebook followers and a significant presence on TikTok, Instagram, and Telegram. This outlet masquerades as a legitimate news brand but disseminates Islamic State content, including call-to-action videos urging migration to ISIS-held territories in Africa and coded language for attack types.
In five months, it released 80 video reels amassing over 1.6 million views, including a viral video featuring an Islamic nasheed and another showing ISIS indoctrination of children. The use of emojis and coded symbols enables it to communicate operational directives to other sympathisers while evading content filters.
2. ‘The Incursions Brigade’: A Recruitment Nexus
Another concerning player is ‘The Incursions Brigade,’ which acts as a digital recruitment and operations hub. With seven Facebook pages and a Telegram-based recruitment channel, it offers a “five battalion” structure:
News Battalion: For sharing official ISIS news content.
Raid Battalion: For coordinated attacks on enemy social media pages.
Creator Battalion: For generating Islamic State-themed content.
Intrusion Battalion: For Facebook-based propaganda raids.
Sharp Battalion: Focused on YouTube raids and mass comments.
To join, recruits must pledge allegiance to ISIS’s current leader and operate anonymous accounts under strict guidelines—no personal expression, no off-topic commentary.
3. ‘Scorched Earth Foundation’: The Raid Command
Founded in January 2025, this group focuses on launching “raids” against enemy online entities. It orchestrated attacks against the Syrian government’s social media, Newsmax, and the U.S. Department of Defense. In a chilling move, it re-published an old Islamic State video calling for arson attacks in Los Angeles, linked to the January 2025 wildfires. Its translated content was shared nearly 800 times on Facebook alone, an alarming spread for extremist propaganda.
The Tools of Digital Jihad: Tactics of Survival and Spread
The durability of these unofficial outlets lies in their strategic use of digital tools and evasive tactics:
Broken Text Posting: Evades moderation by using irregular formatting (e.g., “k.i.l.l.” or “j i h @ d”).
Account Hijacking: Steals established accounts to gain instant access to networks and followers.
Comment Raids: Targets public figures and institutions by mass-posting jihadist content in comment sections.
Link Seeding: Buries extremist content in innocuous threads, often in comment sections or emojis.
Visual Camouflage: Masks videos as cartoons, memes, or faux news clips, including those mimicking outlets like BBC or Netflix.
These methods are shared across the ecosystem, with recruits learning them through underground tutorials, encrypted messaging, and influencer-style training sessions.
Youth Radicalisation: From Online Fandom to Real-World Attacks
The blurred lines between online play and ideological warfare are deeply concerning. Teenagers and young adults involved in this ecosystem do not just repost content—they actively remix and reframe it within internet subcultures. The “Alt-Jihad” movement, for example, uses 4chan-like irony, anime imagery, memes, and gaming lingo to normalise violence and dehumanise targets.
This decentralised culture enables them to radicalise without ever stepping into a mosque, attending a madrassa, or consuming traditional Islamist literature. For example, the Austrian teen linked to the foiled Taylor Swift concert plot told investigators that TikTok was his primary source of radicalisation.
Global Responses: Behind the Curve
Despite the scope of the threat, law enforcement and social media companies remain several steps behind. Europol has executed multi-platform takedowns in 2019 and 2024, but these efforts are often reactive and short-lived. The ISIS digital ecosystem has proven to be highly adaptable, quickly regrouping on lesser-known platforms like RocketChat, Element, and SimpleX.
While most tech firms have built trust and safety teams, few have invested adequately in multilingual moderation or “fly teams” (rapid-response units deployed globally, as used by the FBI) that could effectively disrupt these networks.
Policy Recommendations: From Takedowns to Preemption
To effectively dismantle the digital caliphate’s propaganda machine, the following strategies should be prioritised:
1. Deploy Cross-Functional Digital Counterterrorism Teams
Create agile, linguistically capable task forces to track recidivist accounts, infiltrate support groups, and disrupt content chains at the source.
2. Enhance Platform Accountability
Social media platforms must invest in AI moderation tools that recognise “broken text” and detect coded language. More importantly, they must scrutinise monetised accounts spreading terrorist content under false pretences.
3. Red Teaming and Pre-Emptive Strike Capabilities
Governments should red team their own takedown strategies—predicting how extremists will adapt and preparing pre-emptive countermeasures.
4. Global Coordination and Permanent Takedown Operations
A unified, rotating initiative akin to NATO's Cyber Defence Centre could ensure continuous pressure on ISIS’s digital infrastructure across all platforms.
A Persistent and Evolving Threat
The Islamic State’s territorial defeat did not end its global jihad. Instead, it recalibrated its ambitions and strategy for the digital age. Through a decentralised, multilingual, and youth-infused propaganda ecosystem, the group has successfully rebranded jihadism for Generation Z. The fight against this shadow army of teenage terrorists and anonymous propagandists is no longer confined to physical spaces like Raqqa or Mosul—it is happening on smartphones, in chat rooms, and behind avatars. Governments, tech companies, and civil societies must act with urgency, precision, and foresight to disrupt this new frontier of extremist warfare.