From playground to prison: Sweden’s teenagers trapped in a life of crime

According to Swedish police data, the number of 13- and 14-year-olds arrested in the first eight months of 2025 has more than doubled compared to the same period last year. These minors are suspected of involvement in gang-related violent offenses.

Police say recruitment often happens online, targeting children and teens throughout the country.

Lured by promises of quick money, these youths are typically treated as disposable assets.

According to Swedish Radio, some Swedish children are extorting others — forcing them to “repay” fake debts or perform dangerous tasks, such as planting bombs in stairwells.

Security expert Jimmy Åberg explains that when victims cannot pay, they are pressured to manipulate their parents into handing over money.

Magnus Movitz, deputy police chief in northern Stockholm, has issued warnings to families about this alarming trend.

LGIU reported that Sweden — once considered a model of safety and social welfare — is now grappling with a deepening crisis.

Criminal gangs, especially those involved in drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and organized crime, are systematically recruiting children and teenagers.

This phenomenon has not only increased violent crime rates but also shaken Swedish society and ignited fierce political debate.

According to recent reports, over 1,700 children and teenagers were active in criminal networks in 2024, with youth gang participation rates reaching 11 percent — the highest among Scandinavian countries.

The number of juvenile inmates in Sweden has skyrocketed — from 57 in 2022 to 254 in 2025, a nearly 500% increase. More than 40 of these youths have been charged with murder or attempted murder.

In 2023, at least 55 people in Sweden were killed in shootings. By 2024, the number of murders involving teenagers had tripled, rising from 31 to 102 cases in just the first eight months of that year.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson recently announced that Sweden plans to lower the age of criminal responsibility, currently set at 15, in response to the growing recruitment of minors by organized gangs.

A government-appointed investigator in 2025 recommended reducing the age to 14 for particularly serious crimes, though Kristersson has not confirmed whether his government will adopt the proposal.

According to The Straits Times, Kristersson said in his annual speech marking the reopening of parliament after the summer break:

“Children are being ruthlessly exploited by criminal networks to commit serious crimes. The government is taking firm action to protect these children and their potential victims from such selfish exploitation.”