Newsroom
Europol has raised alarm about a growing trend in which minors are being manipulated into committing violent crimes across Europe. According to Catherine De Bolle, Europol’s Executive Director, criminal networks are increasingly recruiting children through smartphones and multiplayer video games.
“These are no longer petty thefts; children are being pushed to carry out torture, murder, and other major crimes,” De Bolle said. She emphasized that this phenomenon is taking place on European soil: “The use of children by organized‑crime groups is happening right now on European soil. They use children to torture or to kill. We are no longer talking about petty theft. These are major crimes.”
Europol has documented extreme cases of coercion, including one involving a young boy who was ordered “to kill his younger sister, which happened.” The agency also highlighted how criminals intimidate children by threatening family members or pets to ensure compliance: “We also have children who do not carry out the order and then, for example, [the criminals] kill the child’s pet so that the child understands very clearly: ‘We know where you live, we know who you are, you will obey, and if you don’t, we will go further and kill your mother or your father.’”
Financial incentives are sometimes offered, with children being paid up to $20,000 to commit crimes, though payments are not always made. While vulnerable children are frequent targets, De Bolle stressed that even otherwise healthy youths can be at risk: “It also affects others, young people who are not vulnerable but simply want new shoes; very expensive shoes.”
In addition to criminal exploitation, De Bolle warned that children are sometimes used by hostile states and hybrid threat actors as unwitting spies, monitoring government buildings. She also noted the growing impact of technology: “The development of artificial intelligence has had a dramatic impact, multiplying online crime.”
Europol currently tracks over 100 cases in which minors have participated in violent crimes on behalf of criminal networks, including contract killings. Once a child is apprehended by authorities, networks often abandon them and move on to exploit others.
De Bolle urged parents to actively engage with their children about online risks, even while respecting their privacy: “Parents must talk to their children about internet dangers and be vigilant about who they interact with online.”
As this issue escalates, European authorities are debating how best to regulate social media and online platforms to protect young and vulnerable populations from manipulation and exploitation.
