The United Nations has warned that armed groups in Colombia are increasingly recruiting children through social media platforms such as TikTok and Facebook. The UN Human Rights Office in Colombia verified 474 cases of recruitment or use of under-18s between 2022 and 2024, with the situation worsening in 2025. In 36 cases, children were recruited at school, while online recruitment was of 'grave concern'.
Scott Campbell, Colombia representative for the UN high commissioner for human rights, described the trend as 'horrific, toxic and ugly'. He said illegal groups use social media to lure children, promising motorbikes, mobile phones, money, and cosmetic surgery for girls. Elizabeth Dickinson of the International Crisis Group noted that TikTok is rife with videos depicting 'parties in clubs, designer clothes and heavy weapons'.
Campbell criticised social media companies for failing to tackle the problem, stating that if such recruitment occurred in London or Silicon Valley, companies would allocate significant resources. TikTok and Meta told the UN they are working with state entities to remove harmful content and accounts. A Meta spokesperson added that it bans dangerous organisations and collaborates with law enforcement globally.
The crisis is worsening, with 118 allegations of child recruitment in the first quarter of 2025, 51 of which were verified. The Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) reported that over 18,000 minors were recruited by the Farc rebel group before its demobilisation in 2016. Since the peace agreement, a minor has been recruited every 48 hours on average.
Violence in Colombia has increased, with clashes displacing over 50,000 people in January and coordinated attacks killing seven in June. Campbell linked rising recruitment to next year's presidential elections. In a recent incident, a 15-year-old was charged with attempting to assassinate presidential candidate Miguel Uribe.
