Knowledge about online recruitment of children needs to increase

The government wants to increase knowledge about how criminal networks recruit and influence children and young people in digital environments.

"Digital platforms have become one of the criminal networks' most important tools for recruiting children and young people," says Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer (M) in a press release.

The recruitment is taking place to an increasingly large extent online. At the same time, individuals who promote a criminal lifestyle reach thousands of followers on social media, and how young people are affected by this will also be investigated.

The Crime Prevention Council (Brå) and the Total Defence Research Institute (FOI) are tasked by the government to increase knowledge in the area and propose countermeasures.