This guide is informational. Always verify how the rules apply to your specific case.
Electronic tag on children – what applies and when
| Measure | Who decides | Effective from |
|---|---|---|
| Interventions for parents without consent, with fines | Social welfare board | January 2, 2027 |
| Interventions and special conditions for children and young people (school, leisure, drug-free, home hours 18–07) | Social welfare board | January 2, 2027 |
| Drug test (blood, urine, breath, saliva, sweat, hair) when there is a condition of being drug-free | Social welfare board | January 2, 2027 |
| Police may temporarily take into custody children and young people who break home hours | Police officer on site, or upon request from the board if police powers are needed | January 2, 2027 |
| Police register of children with home conditions, Act (2026:1639) | Police authority after report from the board | January 2, 2027 |
| Electronic monitoring (electronic tag) of minors | Administrative court after application from the board | The day determined by the government – no date yet |
The law applies to children under 18 years and young people who have reached 18 but not 21 years, when they are not placed outside their own home. Decisions on interventions or special conditions for the child or young person may not be made when he or she is cared for or placed outside the home under the Social Services Act, the Act (2026:1600) on custody replacing LVU on January 1, 2027, LVM, or the Act on protected housing. Interventions for the child may not be decided when the child is cared for in their own home according to the Act (2026:1600). However, special conditions can be decided in that situation, and interventions against you as the guardian can be decided even when the child is placed, if needed for the child's health or development. The law does not replace LVU. It gives the board coercive power in the own home for those not taken into custody.
What the social services can decide without your consent from January 2, 2027
Against you as a guardian the committee may decide that you must participate in interventions if, due to concrete circumstances, there are reasons to believe that the child is or will be subjected to physical or psychological abuse, sexual violations or sexual exploitation, neglect, negative social control, or any other harmful condition – or that the child has or is at risk of developing harmful use or dependency, criminal activity, or other socially degrading or destructive behavior. The interventions should be assessed to prevent or hinder, and it should be assumed that they cannot be provided with your consent. The decision may be accompanied by a fine. The fine cannot be converted into imprisonment. Special conditions for a parent may only concern the child's daily care, and only after an intervention has been decided.
Against the child or the young person the committee may decide on interventions when, due to concrete circumstances, there are reasons to believe that the child has or is at risk of developing harmful use or dependency, criminal activity, or other socially degrading or destructive behavior, the interventions are assessed to prevent or hinder it, and consent is lacking. The interventions are support for personal needs according to the Social Services Act, not placement. Once an intervention is decided, the committee may also decide on special conditions. This list is closed: schooling, leisure activities, internships or other occupations, obligation to observe sobriety and drug-free status, and obligation to stay at home or at a place equivalent to home during certain times. The home time may start no earlier than 18:00 and end no later than 07:00 and may apply for a maximum of six months at a time. If there is a condition of sobriety and drug-free status, the committee, if there is reason, should verify it through blood, urine, breath, saliva, sweat, or hair tests, and the test should be proportionate. The committee may speak with the child without you being present. Decisions on interventions and conditions apply immediately, must have a special implementation plan, and the committee must consider at least every six months whether they are still needed.
If the child violates the home time, a police officer who encounters the child may temporarily take into custody the child. The child should promptly be taken to the place where they are supposed to be. If that is not possible, the child should be handed over to the social committee. The committee can also request police assistance, but only if it can be feared that the police's special powers are needed or if there are otherwise exceptional reasons. The committee must immediately report each home condition to the Police Authority – name, personal or coordination number, contact details, the content of the condition, and, if it concerns a child, your details as a guardian – and the police may keep a register of children and young people with such conditions. The information should be deleted when the condition has ceased.
Electronic tagging for minors: the requirements in Chapter 5 a
Electronic monitoring was introduced through the law (2026:1638) as its own chapter. It comes into force on the day the government decides. Only then can electronic tagging be considered, and the following applies:
- Only as a complement. Surveillance may only be imposed as a condition already decided upon that the child must be home at certain times, and only if it is necessary to ensure compliance with the condition.
- Both requirements. There must be concrete circumstances that provide reason to believe both that the child will not comply with the condition and that surveillance is needed to prevent or deter criminal activity. One of these alone is not sufficient.
- Proportionality. The reasons must outweigh the intrusion for the child.
- 13-year limit. Children under 13 years old may not be electronically monitored. Monitoring may also not be decided if the child or young person is already being electronically monitored under another law.
- Court, not committee. The decision is made by the administrative court upon application from the social welfare committee. The application must include the concrete circumstances and the positions of the child and the guardian. The court's decision applies immediately unless the court decides otherwise.
- Public counsel for the child and for the guardian, unless it must be assumed that there is no need. If there are no conflicting interests, a joint counsel shall be appointed. An oral hearing unless it is obviously unnecessary. Lay judges in the court of appeal. No requirement for leave to appeal there.
- Time limits. Maximum three months at a time. The equipment may only be active during the times determined by the court, and it may not determine the position outside the place determined by the court. The data may be stored for a maximum of two months.
- Execution. The National Board of Institutional Care installs the equipment with a social worker present, checks alarms, and reports to the committee. The police should be present during installation and removal only if SiS or the committee requests it, and such a request may only be made if it is feared that the police's special powers are needed or if there are otherwise exceptional reasons.
What you can do
What referral bodies said about electronic tagging for children
The bill 2025/26:295 presents the criticism. The Children's Ombudsman, the Swedish Bar Association, the Parliamentary Ombudsman, Save the Children, Civil Rights Defenders, the National Board of Health and Welfare, SKR, and several courts, universities, and municipalities opposed electronic monitoring of children, arguing that the measure is very intrusive, lacks sufficient legal safeguards, and does not belong in social child welfare. Denmark introduced electronic tagging for children in 2010 and abolished it in 2012. The Police Authority, the Public Prosecutor's Office, and some municipalities supported it. The government chose to place the decision with the court instead of the committee, to set a 13-year age limit, and to postpone the implementation. This is why the date is still missing.
Neuman Juridik and Motverket – two different texts
This guide answers what the law entitles you to and what you can practically do as a parent or young person. Motverket's review Measures without consent: fines for parents, curfews for children, and an electronic tag awaiting a date goes through the consultation criticism, police register, and legislative chain in detail. Read it if you want to understand why the law looks the way it does; continue reading here if you have a decision in hand.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can social services put an electronic tag on my child?
Not today. The provisions on electronic monitoring in Chapter 5 a of the Act (2026:1637) have been adopted but will come into force on a date determined by the government. When they apply, it is the administrative court that decides, upon application from the social welfare board, never the social services themselves.
Can a minor receive an electronic tag without being convicted of a crime?
Yes, that is precisely what the law allows for when Chapter 5 a comes into force. The electronic tag is then a social law control of a home condition, not a punishment. A court decision is required, as well as proportionality and concrete circumstances that indicate both that the child will not comply with the curfew and that monitoring is needed to prevent or deter criminal activity.
From what age can children receive an electronic tag?
From 13 years. Children under 13 may not be electronically monitored according to Chapter 5 a, Section 2.
Who decides on an electronic tag for children – social services or the court?
The administrative court, upon application from the social welfare board. The child and the guardian have the right to public counsel and, as a general rule, an oral hearing.
How long can the electronic tag be worn?
A maximum of three months at a time. The home condition it monitors may apply for a maximum of six months at a time. The equipment may only be active during the times determined by the court, and the data is stored for a maximum of two months.
What can social services do from January 2, 2027?
Decide on measures without consent for parents (with fines) and for children and young people, decide on curfews between 18:00 and 07:00, drug tests, report home conditions to the police, and request police assistance if the child violates the condition.
Is this the same as LVU?
No. LVU is replaced on January 1, 2027, by the Act (2026:1600) on Custody, which applies to placement outside the home. The Act on Measures Without Consent applies to children and young people who are not placed. Measures and conditions for the child may not be decided during a placement. However, measures against the guardian can be decided even then, if necessary for the child's health or development.
Can I be imprisoned if I, as a parent, do not participate in the measure?
No. The board may attach a penalty to the decision, but the penalty cannot be converted into imprisonment.
Can I appeal?
Yes. Decisions regarding measures, special conditions, and penalties can be appealed to the administrative court. The decision remains in effect unless the court decides on suspension. Leave to appeal is required in the court of appeal, except in cases concerning electronic monitoring.
Sources and related guides
- Act (2026:1637) on Measures within Social Services when Consent is Lacking
- Act (2026:1639) on the Police Authority's Processing of Personal Data according to the Act on Measures within Social Services when Consent is Lacking
- Government Bill 2025/26:295 Preventive Measures within Social Services for the Protection of Children and Young People in Case of Lack of Cooperation
- Act (2026:1600) on the Taking into Care for the Treatment of Children and Young People
- Report of Concern to Social Services – What Happens and What Rights Do Parents Have?
- Social Services' SoL Investigation – What Does It Entail?
- Responding to Social Services' Report of Concern Step by Step
- Social Services' Home Visits – Checklist and Answers
- LVU at Home – What Does It Entail?
- Custodians' Rights under LVU
- The LVU Process in the Administrative Court and Public Counsel
Last fact-checked against Act (2026:1637) and Government Bill 2025/26:295: September 27, 2026. The guide is general information and does not replace advice from public counsel in the individual case.
