Sweden is considering introducing age limits for social media platforms in response to a surge in gang activity targeting young people for recruitment through online channels. Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer announced the potential measure after a meeting with Nordic justice ministers and representatives from tech companies in Copenhagen. The talks centered on addressing the alarming use of platforms like TikTok, Meta, Google, and Snapchat as "digital marketplaces" for gang recruitment.
Strömmer emphasized the seriousness of the situation, pointing to a significant increase in children under 15 being implicated in planning violent crimes. Police data show that 93 children in Sweden were involved in murder plots during the first seven months of 2024, three times the number in the same period last year. Some recruited children, as young as 11, have been tasked with executing bombings and murders.
The Swedish government is closely monitoring Australia, which recently implemented a social media ban for children under 16, as a potential model. Education Minister Johan Pehrson noted that while a ban is not the government’s first choice, it remains a viable option if other measures fail. "We see that children are stuck in this dark sludge, throwing away their lives," he said.
Tech companies present at the meeting pledged to take stronger action to prevent gang recruitment on their platforms. However, Strömmer stressed that the government expects tangible results. Telegram and Signal, also noted for their role in such activities, did not attend the meeting.
The problem extends beyond Sweden, as Danish authorities have identified 32 cases since April where Swedish gang affiliates recruited young perpetrators, often labeled as "child soldiers." Nordic countries are grappling with this growing crisis, which has made Sweden the European leader in deadly shootings per capita—a stark reversal from its historically low rates of gun violence.
The Swedish government remains committed to exploring all possible measures to curb gang recruitment and protect vulnerable children, signaling that more stringent regulation of social media could be on the horizon.
