Reflections and Key Learning from Engagement with 130 Young People – School Wars / Op Cedar field

Dear All, 

I wanted to share a short reflection following recent engagement work undertaken by Met Intelligence with a group of approximately 130 young people across London, focused on the impact of the School Wars (Red v Blue) online phenomenon and its associated Op Cedar field context.

Although operational pressures have now stabilised, and the anticipated offline risks did not fully materialise—owing in large part to early intelligence assessment, tactical planning, and wider partnership interventions—the insight gathered directly from young people provides valuable learning for us collectively.

Across the larger group and within a smaller cohort of 14–15‑year‑olds, it was clear that the volume, tone and inciteful nature of the online content had a genuine emotional impact. Many expressed that, while police and partners acted swiftly and decisively, young people’s voices felt somewhat lost within the wider response. They also anticipate that similar viral trends are likely to re‑emerge, often quickly and without warning.

Despite this, their feedback was encouraging and showed a strong level of maturity, awareness, and responsibility. Key themes highlighted included:

1. Safeguarding instincts
Young people described feeling an immediate need to protect their families, siblings, and close friends when encountering harmful or provocative online content.

2. Understanding of reporting routes
They showed good awareness of how to escalate concerns—whether to trusted adults, schools, parents, or through direct reporting mechanisms on social media platforms.

3. Non‑amplification as a protective behaviour
Many recognised that engaging with or sharing harmful posts fuels their visibility and momentum. Choosing not to share content was seen as an important form of harm‑reduction.

4. Peer‑to‑peer reassurance
Informal conversations among friends were a key method for sense‑checking, calming fears, challenging myths, and reducing anxiety within their own networks.

Although based on a North London cohort, these insights are likely to reflect wider sentiment among young people across the Nation. They underline the importance of ensuring youth voice sits at the centre of our preventative, engagement, and online‑to‑offline harm strategies.

Emerging learning and opportunities for stakeholders include:

Please do share this learning with your communities, friends and family so they can be reassured in relation to the partnership action taken and how we value the young community perspective in our decision making. 

Kind Regards

Sharon Brind

Superintendent Havering Neighbourhoods