Most young cybercriminals hang up their keyboards in their twenties, study finds

Most youth cybercriminal careers are short-lived, typically peaking around age twenty, before declining sharply, a Dutch study suggests. This trajectory is not unique and mirrors traditional youth offenses.

Cybercrime is one of the least common types of crimes among juvenile suspects, as it requires technical skills. It pales in comparison to property crimes (such as shoplifting) and traffic offenses.

However, what all youth crimes have in common is that they tend to subside as the perpetrators become more mature.

Around the age of twenty, the criminal activity peaks for 76% of cybercrime offenders, and then it declines. Only a small group – approximately 4% – out of 323 criminal hackers continued to show an increased risk of crime later in life.

Long-lasting cybercriminal careers may be explained by the increasing sophistication of hacking skills and their intrinsic motivation, “which often stems from curiosity and interest in technology,” according to the study conducted by Atlas Research and commissioned by the Dutch Research and Data Centre.

For cybercriminals, information and communications technology (ICT) systems are both the means and the goal of hacking. The researchers, who reviewed many previous studies, argue that hacking requires specific skill development, often already in childhood. They mentioned hacking games as an example.

“The risk of being caught for cybercrime is very low,” said the researchers.

“Nevertheless, the few available studies show that criminal hackers have similar age patterns to perpetrators of more traditional crimes.”

The study also notes that the peak age of all young criminals has been somewhat increasing. Between 2010 and 2012, criminals were most active between the ages of 17 and 19. A decade later, in the period from 2019 to 2021, the peak age was between 20 and 21 years old.

Youth crime social costs were estimated to average €2.6 billion per year in the Netherlands, including damages to victims, the cost of detection, prosecution, trial, and punishment. More than half of the cost is borne by the victims and their loved ones.

Only one percent of young perpetrators, committing six or more offenses, cause 44% of the damage. The vast majority of adolescents (87%) never come into contact with police or justice during this period, and 8.6% were suspected once, the study concluded after analyzing 500,000 Dutch students who left primary school between 2008 and 2011.

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According to a 2016 Europol study, many young people entering cybercrime are technically talented, curious, and exhibit a strong interest in technology. However, they may be socially awkward or isolated, with a high need for online affiliation, recognition, and peer approval.

Minor online deviations, such as piracy or low-threat hacking, typically escalate into more serious malicious activity once they are positively reinforced. This behaviour may become addictive.

While motivation was often not primarily financial, the FBI has recently warned about the new cybercrime subculture “The Com” and its role in poisoning young minds.

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