Beyond ideology: digital aestheticized violence among children

This article examines Digital Aestheticized Violence among Children (DAV-C) as an analytical construct for understanding digitally mediated violence-oriented engagement that may occur without coherent ideological commitment. Drawing on qualitative analysis of 36 cases involving children and adolescents connected to True Crime Community (TCC)-related digital environments in Indonesia, complemented by publicly released aggregate information on the broader 2025 cohort of 70 identified cases, the study examines how violent imagery, symbolic practices, peer interaction, psychosocial circumstances, and violence-oriented intent appear across cases. The findings reveal an uneven relationship between ideological commitment and violence-oriented engagement: extremist-associated symbols and violent imaginaries appeared in some cases without evidence of coherent doctrinal adherence, while a smaller number contained more concrete indicators of violence-oriented intent or preparation. Psychosocial circumstances, including bullying, social isolation, family disruption, self-harm, and suicidal ideation, appeared in some records but are not treated as causal predictors. By introducing DAV-C as a framework grounded in aestheticized, affective, performative, and identity-related engagement with violence, this article extends ideology-centred approaches without proposing a deterministic pathway to violence. It highlights implications for countering violent extremism, child protection, and digital governance.