BOGOTA, Colombia, May 1, (AP): Rebel groups in Colombia are using apps like Facebook and Tik Tok to recruit children and young adults, and social media companies must do more to moderate content, the United Nations says. The UN's top human rights official in Colombia, Scott Campbell, in an interview with The Associated Press said more investment is needed in both automated tools and human moderators to take down videos posted by gangs and rebel groups that are targeting youth from marginalized communities.

Colombian rebel groups such as the FARC-EMC are increasingly posting videos that glamorize life in their ranks and urge youth to enlist. "These companies are not putting enough resources into online content moderation in the global south,” Campbell said, calling Colombia an example of how "grave” the threat can be for children and Indigenous communities.

He said companies take more action in the global north, where they feel the most political pressure. Campbell, who previously served as a human rights and technology specialist at the UN’s Geneva office, said he recently met with representatives from Meta, which owns Facebook, to discuss how rebel groups and gangs can be stopped from using the company’s platforms to recruit young people. He said the company pledged to work on the problem, and added that he is also seeking a meeting with TikTok representatives.

In an email, a TikTok spokesperson said the company has developed community guidelines that include not allowing hateful or violent organizations on its platform. The company said if it notices that these organizations are using its platform, or if suspicious accounts are flagged by users who contact its help center, it will review accounts and delete them.

TikTok also said it has been working closely with police in Colombia and with the army to identify and shut down accounts that violate community guidelines. In a separate email, Meta said the company has a policy of banning terrorist organizations from using its platforms and that it is collaborating with law enforcement to fight efforts to recruit children. "We also collaborate with other companies to share information and take actions against these evolving threats across the internet,” Meta said.