Children as young as seven caught hacking as ex-criminals warn of ‘clueless' parents

A startling rise in cyber crime perpetrated by children and teenagers is exposing a critical generational blind spot, with reformed hackers warning that parents are largely unaware their children are stealing millions.

As reported by Sky News, data from UK’s national crime agency (NCA) unveils that the average age of referrals to its cyber choices intervention programme this financial year is just 15, with the youngest individual referred being only seven years old.

The program focuses on those who are directly or indirectly involved in committing entry-level cyber crime, with a year-on-year increase in cases linked primarily to gamers aged 10-16.

This trend aligns with an increasing rate in corporate hacks. There has been an increase of 230% of insurance payouts to hacked businesses in the UK with recent attacks on big companies like Marks & Spencer, Co-op, Jaguar Land Rover, and Transport for London for causing billions in damages and disruption.

In most of the cases, suspects were either teenagers or young adults.

As cited by Sky News, U.S. prisons have cybercriminals who started hacking as young as 15 and jailed for “stealing $7.6 million in cryptocurrency.”

Professor John McAlaney, a chartered psychologist, describes that online hacking forums gives a powerful “sense of belonging” and positive reinforcement for teenagers, especially those who feel isolated or misunderstood offline.

The NCA’s Jonathan Broadbent warns that the referrals are “just the start,” with student-led cyber attacks on school being unusually common.

Experts argue that the solution lies in early awareness and creating legitimate, lucrative outlets for these skills.

The global cybersecurity industry faces a critical skills gap of millions, yet it often overlooks self-taught talent from gaming communities.