Seven out of ten minors in Europe, 72% of those aged between 11 and 15, are at risk of being hacked due to too much confidence in their computer skills.
The latest research by Kaspersky, an international cybersecurity company, reveals it.
The analysis, "Too safe and too exposed: are children safe online?", performed on more than 6,000 minors in eight European countries, more than 1,000 in Italy, asked respondents what their knowledge of safety was online, if they knew what a phishing attempt was, how much information they shared online, and who they trusted to identify potential threats.
72% are unable to identify one or more phishing attempts and cannot distinguish a fake email from a legitimate one.
The data, processed by Censuswide, indicate that about 2 out of 5 children (39%) think they are correctly informed about online safety even if they have been victims of phishing, i.e. attempts to scam them via email or chat.
Furthermore, the exponents of the so-called Gen Z, those born between 1997 and 2012, do not receive the necessary help from adults to deal with digital threats: 58% in fact admitted that they do not help their children, or young people in begetting, to recognize scams.
“Older generations, who are often seen as more susceptible to online fraud, are unable to teach younger generations how real-world dangers seem to unfold just as online. Perhaps because some (28%) actually know little of online and digital security The technological know-how of young people,
While many under-18s consider themselves near-experts, Kaspersky's research reveals that over half (55%) still admit to posting personal information, such as their name and date of birth, on social media.
54% said they would also be willing to reveal the name of their pet (often used as a password) and favorite TV show in online questions.
"This naivety clashes with their alleged level of computer knowledge: online games and quizzes are often used by criminals as tools to collect as much information about users as possible," said David Emm, Principal Security Researcher Global Research and Analysis Team at Kaspersky.