Emily thought her son had girl problems. Then she saw him on TV.

On Australia Day 2024, Emily* settled in on her couch for the evening news. Her teenage son Scott* was away on what she thought was a boxing trip with friends. What she saw next would change her family forever.

There on her screen was a group of neo-Nazis holding a makeshift press conference, promoting white supremacy. Standing next to their leader, Thomas Sewell, was a boy in a black face mask and sunglasses. Despite the disguise, Emily knew immediately — it was Scott.

It was a devastating revelation for Emily, whose grandfather was a Dutch resistance fighter murdered by Nazis in a concentration camp.

"This is war," she told ABC's Four Corners. "You've literally started a war on my family."

Scott had been a typical teenager — passionate about music, books and sports. Quiet, intelligent, seemingly well-adjusted. But during the pandemic, Emily noticed subtle changes.

He began questioning the government's handling of COVID-19, developing increasingly right-wing political views.

"At first you think, 'Oh maybe he's got girl problems. Or is he getting bullied at school? Or is he struggling in class,'" Emily told ABC.

"I felt something was off and I couldn't pinpoint what. I did not think he'd be involved with a neo-Nazi organisation."

Unknown to Emily, Scott had encountered the National Socialist Network (NSN) — Australia's largest neo-Nazi group — at a rally against the Voice to Parliament. They drew him in with promises of boxing training and brotherhood during an isolating time.

"I believe the sense of companionship and belonging and the fitness part was the biggest drive for him; to be part of something," Emily told ABC.

"And then slowly haul them in until you find your kid at their monthly gatherings while they're reading from Hitler's delusional Mein Kampf as if it's the bible."

Emily noticed her son standing among members of the National Socialist Network. Image: ABC.

The radicalisation pipeline.

A devastated Emily began searching for help. She contacted the police only to find there were limited options available to help people turn away from extremism.

Meanwhile, NSN members were messaging Scott, encouraging him to "get control" of his life by setting up independent banking and Medicare accounts – preparing him to leave home "no strings attached" when he turned 18.

After visiting the unofficial NSN headquarters to collect Scott's boxing equipment, Emily's fears intensified. The house was filled with Nazi literature and Hitler portraits. She was terrified of losing Scott to this world completely.

It was only after contacting an overseas NGO that Emily found help. She was referred to Australian far-right disengagement group, Exit Australia, who pointed her towards a Victoria police intervention program and helped push for Scott to be accepted.

National Socialist Network members were texting Scott, encouraging him to prepare to leave his mum. Image: ABC.

A growing national concern.

Extremism is on the rise in Australia. Just last year, the federal government raised the country's threat level from "possible" to "probable", with security officials warning of an increased risk of violence "across all ideological spectrums".

Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) Director-General Mike Burgess said more Australians were being radicalised, and more quickly.

"More Australians are embracing a more diverse range of extreme ideologies and more Australians are willing to use violence to advance their cause," he said in August.

"Politically-motivated violence now joins espionage and foreign interference as our principal security concerns.

"Unfortunately, here and overseas, we are seeing spikes in political polarisation and intolerance, uncivil debate and unpeaceful protests. Anti-authority beliefs are growing. Trust in institutions is eroding. Provocative, inflammatory behaviours are being normalised."

And it's our young people who are at risk. In recent cases of terror attacks, or acts that have been investigated as potential acts of terrorism, the oldest perpetrator was 21 and the youngest was 14, per Four Corners.

"Extremist ideologies, conspiracies, misinformation, are flourishing in the online ecosystem and young Australians are particularly vulnerable," Burgess said.

The path forward.

Terror threats are becoming harder to predict and identify, Burgess said. It's something to be aware of, but not afraid, he stressed. "'Probable' does not mean 'inevitable'."

Meanwhile, loved ones of radicalised Australians are calling for help.

State and territory police and governments offer Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) programs to support people who have been radicalised, as part of a federal government strategy, but access remains limited.

Parents often don't want to report their children to the authorities and don't know where else they can get help.

Emily is among those fearing people could fall through the cracks, and violence could follow.

"A lot of parents are either not informed or not even offered a chance, which is absolutely disgusting," she told ABC. "Parents are left in the dark, and that needs to change."

*Names changed for privacy.

Feature image: ABC.