Reports warn kids are being groomed into hacking

Federal agents and local investigators are warning that some children are being pulled into hacking through gaming and social media, often by older online contacts promising fast money. (abcnews.com) ABC News reported April 14 that Matthew Lane, now 20, said he was a malicious hacker by 15 and helped carry out the 2024 PowerSchool breach before reporting to federal prison. The Justice Department said that attack put at risk data tied to 60 million children and 10 million teachers. (abcnews.com | justice.gov) Lane was sentenced on October 14, 2025, to four years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $25,000 fine, and more than $14 million in restitution after hacking two companies and extorting them for ransom, according to federal prosecutors. (justice.gov) The Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a July 23, 2025 public warning that a network known as “The Com” includes thousands of mostly young members, many of them minors, involved in cybercrime, swatting, extortion, and cryptocurrency theft. The bureau said recruits are often approached on gaming sites and social media platforms. (ic3.gov) The bureau said members of that network are typically 11 to 25 years old and that some offenders deliberately recruit juveniles because they wrongly believe children are harder for the justice system to reach. (ic3.gov) The National Crime Agency in Britain issued a similar warning, saying online “Com networks” are made up largely of teenage boys and span cybercrime, fraud, violence, extremism, and child sexual abuse. The agency said known reports of that threat in the United Kingdom rose six-fold from 2022 to 2024. (nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk) British investigators said offenders in those networks use social engineering and grooming techniques, and in some cases victims have been groomed into offending themselves. The agency said the groups operate on the same mainstream platforms young people use every day, not on hidden corners of the internet. (nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk) ABC News said Federal Bureau of Investigation agents have interviewed suspects as young as 14, while cybersecurity educator Fergus Hay said gaming can sharpen the same trial-and-error skills later used for hacking. He said the tools are easy to find and the online lifestyle can look glamorous to teenagers. (abcnews.com) CyberScoop, citing the Federal Bureau of Investigation alerts, reported that the same online ecosystem mixes cybercrime with sextortion, violent threats, and child exploitation cases, which is why investigators are treating youth hacking as part of a broader online harm problem. (cyberscoop.com | ic3.gov) Lane told ABC News he is “thankful” he was caught before the damage grew worse. His case is now being used by investigators and educators as a warning that the path from online curiosity to organized crime can start in spaces built for kids. (abcnews.com)