UK Police Redirect 1,150 Teen Hackers Through Cyber Choices as Youth Cybercrime Grows
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 31
UK Police Redirect 1,150 Teen Hackers Through Cyber Choices as Youth Cybercrime Grows
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 31
Summary
More than 1,150 young people have been referred to the UK's Cyber Choices program over eight years, with nearly 600 cases arriving in the last three years as police try to steer teenage hackers away from crime.
Officers say many start by bypassing school restrictions or testing systems, then drift into online communities that encourage hacking; the program responds with home visits, legal warnings and months of one-to-one mentoring.
Paul Foster, the NCA's cyber prevention lead, said English-speaking young hackers are playing a bigger role in serious attacks, including breaches linked to TfL and MGM Grand in 2024 and Marks and Spencer and the Co-op in 2025.
Police say many participants are neurodiverse, and the scheme is not foolproof—one teen later allegedly reoffended and a TfL hacker had earlier refused to engage—but officials argue early intervention is better than leaving talent to criminal networks.
Cases such as Lucas in Cumbria and Izak in Leicestershire show the intended path: turning teenage curiosity about hacking into university study or cyber-security work before it escalates into serious offending.