Scotland Yard counter-terrorism officers are warning London parents to be vigilant about the online activity of their children , with many buying them phones and tablets for Christmas in the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales.

Detective Superintendent Jane Corrigan said referrals to the Government’s Prevent scheme have soared by 38 per cent across the capital from 981 in April 2024 to 1,354 in March this year.

A record number are due to concerns about the radicalisation of vulnerable children under 18 in the wake of hit TV drama Adolescence.

Children exposed to the internet through their phones are at increased risk of seeing dangerous and harmful material, relating to Islamist or far-right extremism, violence and mass casualty attacks.

Ofcom says 82 per cent of 10 to 12-year

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