Ex-teen hackers warn parents are clueless as children steal ‘millions’

In a post dated 6 December 2025, DataBreaches[.]Net discusses a new Orange Cyberdefense report based on a dataset of 418 arrests or publicly available legal cases, noting its limitations in capturing younger offenders. According to Sky News, a Brad Young column cites that the average age of referrals to Cyber Choices this financial year is just 15, with the youngest seven, and that the National Crime Agency has seen a year-on-year rise in referrals as insurance payouts to hacked UK businesses have rocketed 230%.

The piece also highlights that, to date this financial year, there have been 105 referrals of all ages to Cyber Choices, with senior NCA officers cautioning that the referrals likely understate the full scale of the threat. It cites statements that cybercrime against schools remains prevalent across the country and that young people are often drawn into criminal activity through gaming and social interactions.

The article notes that, in the CC-Driver report cited by Sky News, teens aged 16–19 show motivations that are frequently social rather than financial, with online harassment and cyberbullying among common behaviours.