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Social media: A Gateway for Child Recruitment

  • Julia Freedson and Yvonne Kemper
  • Dec 14, 2022
  • 3 min read

Updated: Dec 14, 2022

December 14, 2022

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Some technologies are like guests who refuse to leave, and worse yet, you may not even remember inviting them in the first place. No doubt, social media has made its way into all our homes, seemingly unbeknownst to us — and this is likely just the beginning.


In our field of protecting children in armed conflict, the last “tech revolution” dates to the 1990s when the world was shocked by images in the news of children carrying guns. No, it was not that armed groups had suddenly become more brutal. Rather, they had found a new way to exploit children for political gain: the AK-47, a weapon easy enough to carry and use, even by a child. Since then, tens of thousands of children and young people have been recruited and used by armed forces and groups — a clear violation of children’s rights, and often resulting in unspeakable devastation for children on and off the battlefield.


Social media — the new AK-47 for child recruitment?

Social media looks far less scary than an AK-47. It’s glossy, has cool graphics and is easily available 24/7 on our devices. So, what does it have to do with children in war? In fact, social media is the latest technological innovation armed groups are using to lure children into their ranks.


As with other forms of online grooming, armed groups, such as ISIS and al Shabab, use these social platforms to build relationships, trust, and emotional connections with children so they can exploit and abuse them by eventually drawing them into their groups. Having studied the use of children by armed groups for decades, we have every reason to believe that groups across the globe will soon follow suit, if they have not already.


The expanding gateway

  • Children and young people around the world are using social media more and more every day. According to UNICEF, more than a billion children and young people under 25 have access to the internet. And, social media usage is widespread among internet users in many countries experiencing war, such as Ukraine, Syria, and Somalia.


  • Social media is easy and cheap. Instead of speaking in-person with potential recruits, which can be time consuming and logistically complex, social platforms offer a way for armed forces and groups to engage in less resource-intensive outreach and recruitment processes. It is also more difficult for law enforcement to trace.


  • Militant Islamist groups and others are already using social media and other online communication to promote radical beliefs targeting young, potential new recruits.


Now what?

Recognizing that social media is the spicy new recruitment tactic of armed actors, what does this mean for those of us seeking to protect children? Should we cancel talks with armed groups and call off community sensitization programs? Should we double down our own efforts to engage on TikTok, Instagram or Snapchat?


Knowing armed actors will increasingly turn to social media for influencing and recruiting children and teens in the future does not mean abandoning well-proven strategies for ending child recruitment. Rather, knowing that the rise of social media is a gateway for child recruitment requires us to expand our own toolbox to reflect today’s new realities.


The good news is that there are already some innovative tech solutions that can help respond to online recruitment of children. These include:

Armed group’s use of social media to recruit children is real. It’s time for those of us working to protect children to study their tactics and team up with the tech industry to open alternative gateways for children and young people. Let’s get going!


Please let us know what you think of this blog. We are eager to hear your comments in the box below.


Julia Freedson and Yvonne Kemper

Independent Consultants

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