Katelynas orders police plan to prevent children’s online recruitment into crime
Tuesday 27th October 2026 on 11:30 in
Lithuania
Lithuanian Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas has tasked police with drawing up a plan for preventing children’s involvement in online crime and estimating the cost to the state, LRT reported.
Katelynas said minors are being recruited on social networks and messaging platforms to deliver packages, distribute drugs, take part in fraud schemes and gather information about various objects. He said such approaches often begin innocuously.
Police have been asked to provide a detailed implementation plan with deadlines, interim results and funding needs, including an assessment of the staff and expertise required, the minister said. He added that crime that once took place on the streets was increasingly moving into the digital space.
Katelynas said public education and calls for parents to remain vigilant were not enough. He called for closer cooperation between institutions and greater responsibility from online platforms, which he said should respond to violations and detect risks before harm occurs.
Lithuania would also seek an active role in addressing digital threats in the European Union, he said, arguing that they cross national borders and require joint solutions. Katelynas said he hoped the issue would remain on the EU agenda during and after Lithuania’s presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2027. Lithuania will take over the rotating presidency from Ireland and later hand it to Greece.
The Interior Ministry prepared recommendations on children’s digital safety this summer and plans to present them during Lithuania’s EU Council presidency. The recommendations cover 10 groups, including parents and guardians, child-protection bodies, education and health sectors, non-governmental organisations, digital service providers and authorities responsible for implementing the Digital Services Act. The document points to possible EU-wide measures such as age checks on social networks and restrictions on phones in schools.