Exposure to scams is a regular part of life online for young people, with 79% coming across them at least once a month, almost half (45%) at least once a week, and 20% seeing scams online every day, according to research released by the UK Safer Internet Centre (UKSIC) to mark Safer Internet Day.
Almost half of children aged between eight and 17 ‘have been scammed online’ Almost half of children aged between eight and 17 have been scammed online – with a quarter blaming themselves, according to a report.
The most common scams experienced by young people are fake giveaways, phishing and fake websites, followed by online shopping scams, including fake ticket sales, and so-called “trust trades” in gaming.
Some 81% of parents and carers and 43% of teenagers believe that online scams are getting more convincing, and around a third of young people (32%) worry that the use of new technology, such as generative artificial intelligence, will make scams harder to identify.
Helen Westerman, campaigns manager at the NSPCC, said: “These findings paint a deeply concerning picture of how online scams are affecting young people’s wellbeing, with nearly a million children targeted in the past year alone.
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