THE head of the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has warned that the country’s teens are being “radicalized” into becoming cybercriminals by online platforms, a claim highlighted in a speech launching the NCA’s National Strategic Assessment on 20 March 2026.
In the remarks, Graeme Biggar, NCA director general, argued that “the same toxic online spaces” and algorithms are turning teens into cybercriminals, sex offenders and terrorists, and he urged tech companies to face up to responsibilities they have not yet assumed. He warned that technology is reshaping crime by accelerating and globalising it, and that the boundaries between different types of crime are blurring, with cyber-attacks and money laundering networks cited as examples.
The briefing noted a rise in online fraud, sextortion and violent exploitation, and said AI adds complexity and volume while algorithms can normalise harm.
Biggar pointed to recent law enforcement successes, including the Lockbit takedown, a 27% rise in fraud convictions, and around 1000 arrests a month in child sexual abuse cases, and he asserted that the online world can be used as effectively by authorities as by criminals, with the Online Crime Centre expected to speed data sharing between government and industry. according to NCA.