Dutch study finds teen cybercrime is mostly just a phase

Young threat actors may be rebels without a cause. These cybercriminals typically grow out of their offending ways by the time they turn 20, according to data published by the Dutch government. In a report examining the social cost of adolescent crime, the Dutch House of Representatives cited various research papers to show …

[Doctor Syntax]

So it's just a hobby. An expensive hobby. Expensive for other people.

[IGotOut]

So you know what we should do?

Build more gaols. Lock them up with hardened criminals so they can move onto different, more violent crimes.

None of this namby pampy "education" or "opportunities to reform" or "chances to change their ways"

Lock em up I say.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: So you know what we should do?

Your username takes on new meaning.

[Taliesinawen]

Re: So you know what we should do?

>> Build more gaols. Lock them up with hardened criminals so they can move onto different, more violent crimes.

> Your username takes on new meaning.

No, get them a job in “cyber security” !

[CoyoteDen]

It is also how you learn skills that will come in handy if you want a career in cybersecurity.

Remember, anything you do before you turn 18 (with a few exceptions) will not appear on a background check, and that is assuming you even get caught.

[Dinanziame]

Is local cyber criminality relevant?

What percentage of economic loss due to cyber criminality is caused by locals, as opposed to groups operating safely in other countries that tolerate their activity as long as they only affect foreign targets?

[Anonymous Coward]

Kinda interesting too that, from "zie Figuur 3.1" of the "report" (TFA link), the suspect (verdachten) rate at peak age (around 18) has decreased by 3x between 2007 and 2023, and the peak criminal offenders rate (strafrechtelijke daders) went down by nearly 4x (aka to 1/4 of what it was). The authors quote it as notable: "Opmerkelijke vaststelling daarin is dat de leeftijd-criminaliteitscurve in Nederland een lagere piek heeft gekregen".

Not sure how that happened though, and if that occurred over all types of criminal ventures ...

^{(a bit unfortunate too that the English version of the report "Young people on the wrong path Exploring the social costs of criminal careers of adolescents" is just 15 pages, to the Dutch's 138!)}

[Anonymous Coward]

Kids today, eh!

In my day it were just keeping library books out too long, following the milkman and nicking the odd bottle of milk and pinching the odd stick mag.

[An_Old_Dog]

Yoofs' Song

"I'm not a blackhat.

So don't forget it.

It's just a silly phase I'm goin' through.

I have a wallet.

It's full of Bitcoins.

The money doesn't mean that much to me."

(Apologies to 10CC)