State Minister of Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon has called for a collective effort to address the online radicalization of youth.

The State Minister emphasized that online youth radicalization in the South Asian region is a complex challenge that demands urgent attention.

He further said fostering education, collaboration, socio-economic development and leveraging technology responsibly, can help empower youth to resist extremist narratives and pave the way for a more peaceful and harmonious future in the region.

State Minister of Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon made these remarks while attending a Youth De-Radicalization Workshop organized by Search for Common Ground with Meta (Facebook), Skype, Twitter and Messenger, in Colombo on Thursday (Dec 07).

Commenting further, the State Minister noted “Youth radicalization doesn’t occur in a vacuum. It’s often born out of a complex interplay of socio-economic disparities, political instability, marginalization and a lack of education or opportunities and addressing radicalization requires a multifaceted approach – one that goes beyond mere security measures”.

“Social media has evolved as a social nation and exerts enormous influence around the world. Today due to the online platforms, there is only a fine line between freedom of expression and social security and communication service providers have a great responsibility in the appropriate use of safety tools and measures,” he added.

Representatives of the Tech Industry and civil society organizations were present at the occasion. (NewsWire)

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