Sweden’s government is moving forward with a proposal to place electronic monitoring devices on children as young as 13, expanding a series of crime-control policies that critics say are dramatically increasing state surveillance powers over minors.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The Swedish government has unveiled a proposal that would allow authorities to place electronic tracking devices on children beginning at age 13 if officials determine they are at risk of being recruited by criminal gangs.
Under the plan, announced by the Swedish government, social services agencies would have authority to decide which minors are subjected to electronic monitoring. Officials estimate between 50 and 100 children could initially be fitted with the devices to enforce movement restrictions and curfews.
The proposal marks another expansion of Sweden’s increasingly aggressive anti-crime measures targeting juveniles amid rising gang violence involving minors.
Since October 2025, Swedish law enforcement agencies have been permitted to wiretap electronic communications involving children under the age of 15, including investigations where no individual crime has yet been identified. The country is also preparing to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 13 for certain serious offenses beginning July 1.
The proposed tracking devices would reportedly resemble ordinary wearable technology rather than traditional ankle monitors used on convicted offenders. Swedish Social Services Minister Camilla Waltersson Grönvall said officials want the devices designed “like a watch or bracelet” so they would not appear as stigmatizing as criminal monitoring equipment.
Government officials argue the measures are necessary to address escalating gang recruitment of minors, particularly younger children who are allegedly targeted because they face reduced legal penalties under current Swedish law.
Waltersson Grönvall cited government figures stating that 173 children under age 15 were suspected of involvement in murders or murder conspiracies. She also referenced 52 evidentiary proceedings involving minors in 2025, a legal mechanism used in Sweden to establish whether children below the criminal responsibility age committed offenses, even though punishments are not imposed.
“When children are at risk of falling into the clutches of serious criminals, we must have more tools to protect them,” Waltersson Grönvall said while defending the proposal. “Electronic monitoring should be usable in serious situations, in order to break a destructive pattern in time and guarantee the child’s safety.”
Critics, however, argue the proposal would permit authorities to subject minors to location surveillance without criminal convictions or formal charges. Under the current framework, children could be monitored based on assessments by social services that they may become involved in criminal activity in the future.
Children’s rights organizations, including UNICEF and Sweden’s National Council for Crime Prevention, have reportedly raised concerns about the long-term implications for civil liberties and due process protections involving minors.
Opponents of the proposal argue the policy reflects a broader transformation in Sweden’s approach to juvenile crime, replacing traditional social support models with expanded monitoring and policing powers.
The debate comes as Sweden continues confronting an increase in gang-related violence that has drawn national attention and prompted lawmakers to pursue tougher enforcement policies aimed at younger offenders.
If approved, the electronic monitoring proposal would add physical tracking technology to a growing list of surveillance authorities already granted to Swedish officials involving minors, including expanded communications interception and lower criminal liability thresholds.