Parents across the UK are being warned they are largely unaware of a growing threat, as children as young as seven are being drawn into serious cybercrime, often starting with online gaming. Exclusive data reveals a sharp rise in young people being referred to a national intervention programme, coinciding with a massive increase in costly hacks against British businesses.
The Alarming Scale of Youth Cybercrime
The National Crime Agency (NCA) has told Sky News Money that the average age of referrals to its Cyber Choices programme this financial year is just 15, with the youngest being only seven years old. The programme is designed for those committing or showing intent to commit entry-level cyber offences. Referrals are increasing year-on-year, predominantly involving gamers aged between 10 and 16.
This trend emerges as insurance payouts to UK companies devastated by cyber attacks have skyrocketed by 230%. Jonathan Broadbent, a senior officer at the NCA's National Cyber Crime Unit, cautioned that the referrals are just the tip of the iceberg. "I don't think the referrals represent the full scale of the threat," he said, highlighting that cybercrime against schools is "really quite prevalent across the country."
Data from the Information Commissioner's Office supports this, showing that students were responsible for 57% of insider data breaches in schools between January 2022 and August 2024.
From Club Penguin to Federal Prison: A Hacker's Pathway
The journey into cybercrime for many teenagers begins innocently enough. Ricky Handschumacher, 32, now a reformed hacker, was introduced to hacking through video games at age 15. This path ultimately led to a four-year federal prison sentence in the US for stealing $7.6m in cryptocurrency. He warns that children today are "even more vulnerable" because hacking knowledge is now mainstream.
Another former cybercriminal, Joseph Harris, 28, began at age 12 with the children's game Club Penguin. After discovering a bug that allowed him to collect rare in-game items, he progressed to tricking customer service agents and selling accounts for thousands of dollars. "The thrill and the accomplishment was more of a rush for me than the actual money," Harris admitted. He was later jailed for stealing $14m in cryptocurrency.
Both men stress that the online disinhibition effect – where actions online feel less real – combined with the allure of money and status, can quickly erode a young person's moral compass. Handschumacher reflected, "You don't see these people face to face, so you don't realise the damage you're doing."
Bridging the Gap to Legitimate Careers
The surge in youth cybercrime is happening against a backdrop of a global shortage of cybersecurity professionals. The industry is missing out on a generation of talent because it often looks for conventional qualifications like degrees, rather than the non-traditional skills developed in gaming communities.
Organisations like The Hacking Games (THG) are trying to redirect this aptitude. They are developing recruitment programmes that assess hacking skills through metrics like gaming performance, and are planning eSports tournaments to connect with teenagers. The NCA's Cyber Choices programme also conducts school visits to educate about computer misuse laws and promote legal cyber careers.
However, Handschumacher and Harris argue that financial incentive is key. Ethical "bug bounty" programmes, where hackers report security flaws for a reward, often pay far less than the potential illicit gain. Harris reported a critical flaw in a gambling site for a $2,500 bounty, a sum he says is not enough to deter a teenager who could make millions illegally. "You're going to either make a million or a thousand. I guarantee you, 99% of 16-year-olds are going to take the million," said Handschumacher.
The message from those who have lived through the consequences is clear: parents must pay closer attention to their children's online activities. What may look like harmless gaming could be the first step down a dangerous rabbit hole with severe real-world repercussions for both the child and their victims.
