Facebook and TikTok are failing to stop the spread of content produced by armed groups in Colombia to recruit minors, and their algorithms appear to be promoting it, Human Rights Watch said in a report released on Monday.
The organization, which investigates human rights violations, said posts that "glorify life in armed groups" and offer "fake job opportunities" have circulated widely on social media and have helped drive the recruitment of at least 1,500 minors in Colombia since 2021.
Six Decades of Armed Conflict
Over six decades of armed conflict, guerrillas and drug traffickers have recruited children and teenagers from disadvantaged communities across the country. In recent years, according to Human Rights Watch, the use of social media platforms has contributed to a sharp rise in the recruitment of children.
How Armed Groups Use Children
The report found that armed groups mainly use children for combat, gathering intelligence and operating drones. Nearly half of the minors caught up in what is considered a war crime belong to indigenous communities.
Girls make up 40 percent of the cases documented and are subjected to sexual violence, according to the report.
Posts Glorifying Cartel and Guerrilla Life
Human Rights Watch said it had identified posts in which criminals show off cash and jewelry. Other posts show them in armed camps or listening to narcocorridos, Mexican-style songs that glorify the drug trade.
Some users ask in the comments how to join organizations such as the Clan del Golfo cartel, left-wing guerrilla groups like the ELN (National Liberation Army), or factions that broke away from the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) after rejecting the 2016 peace agreement. According to the report, these FARC dissident factions are responsible for 74 percent of the recruitment cases.
Meta and ByteDance Respond
Human Rights Watch said it had notified Meta, the parent company of Facebook, as well as ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, about the problem.
Meta responded that it is "constantly working to improve" its strategy for combating the recruitment of minors, according to the report.
ByteDance, for its part, said it "proactively prevents illegal armed groups and organized criminal groups from using" its platform for these purposes.
Splinter Groups Have Multiplied
Although the 2016 peace agreement disarmed most of the FARC, splinter factions and other armed gangs have since multiplied across Colombia.
