Dear John,

Are you concerned about the white supremacist propaganda that young people are seeing online and the ways that extremists may be trying to recruit them?

ADL’s education team has assembled the Extreme Measures toolkit of resources to help you and others take action against the effects of these domestic extremist recruitment efforts.

Teens and tweens are a key target of extremist outreach. Young people are susceptible to propaganda and often witness publicized extremist activities like Charlottesville and the January 6 attack on the Capitol as they happen in real time — and then on a continuous media loop.

Using gaming, social media, streaming and other platforms, extremists use humor, memes, sarcasm, “edgy” imagery, jokes and live chats to lure young people to their point of view, spreading hate, propaganda and disinformation. This is what recruitment looks like.

The Extreme Measures toolkit includes a list of warning signs for youths who are most at risk as well as for those who may have been radicalized already.

This toolkit is for you if you are concerned about the presence and power of white supremacist extremism in the U.S. and how young people are being recruited in these efforts. If you know a young person who you fear may be susceptible to heading down this road or who perhaps may already be well along it, you can download the Extreme Measures toolkit for background information, terminology, examples, approaches, responses and strategies.

You can play a key role in helping young people resist the temptation to get involved with hateful groups and ideologies and instead contribute to a safer and more equitable society.