Science & Technology, UK (Commonwealth Union) – An international study conducted by a researcher from the University College London (UCL) has revealed that disadvantaged teenagers are facing a heightened risk of falling victim to email scams and require improved protection.
The research, featured in the British Journal of Educational Studies, analyzed data from over 170,000 15-year-old students. It found that one in five students hailing from low-income families or economically deprived areas are susceptible to falling prey to phishing scams. This risk is significantly higher than that faced by the general age group. Email scams expose individuals to the threat of identity theft, placing young people in jeopardy of financial fraud and potential loss of savings.
The research also underscores that students with poor learning skills are the most vulnerable to these scams. This comprehensive study encompassed data from 38 countries, including the UK, US, and Japan.
Furthermore, the study reveals that students who have received education about the perils of digital fraud are equally likely to respond inappropriately to phishing emails, comparable to those who have not received any specific instruction on the subject.
Professor John Jerrim, the author of this research from UCL’s Faculty of Education & Society, asserts that this points to a significant gap in educational provision. He is now urging schools to offer more comprehensive and higher-quality instruction on recognizing online threats, including phishing emails.
“Socio-economically disadvantaged groups are – at least in some countries – at greater risk from phishing attacks than their more advantaged peers. This is largely driven by socio-economic differences in cognitive abilities. Unfortunately, current attempts by schools to address this issue do not seem to be particularly effective,” added Professor Jerrim.
“Teenagers taught in the classroom about the risks appear to be just as likely to take inappropriate action. More needs to be done to help young people navigate what is becoming an increasingly complex and dangerous online world. This is particularly true for some of the most vulnerable groups who are most at risk of falling for attempts at digital fraud.”
Every day, over 3 billion spam emails flood inboxes, with phishing being one of the most prevalent cyber fraud tactics. However, current research predominantly scrutinizes the susceptibility of older individuals to this crime, while neglecting the investigation of school-age children’s vulnerability and the effectiveness of educational efforts in this regard.
The study in question relied on data from 176,186 children who participated in the 2018 Programme for International Assessment (PISA), a triennial survey conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). PISA assesses the knowledge of students in OECD countries in reading, science, and mathematics through a two-hour proficiency test and a subsequent questionnaire.
The 2018 PISA survey presented students with a fictional scenario involving a mobile-phone company emailing them about winning a smartphone. The email instructed them to click a link and provide their information to claim the prize. The students were asked to select their response, which included options such as replying to the email for more details, verifying the sender’s email address, clicking the link, or immediately filling out the form.
Professor Jerrim’s study primarily focused on students’ responses regarding the third option and inquired whether they had received any instruction on identifying phishing or spam emails.
Gender differences were not observed, as boys and girls displayed similar response rates. However, teenagers from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds were notably more prone to clicking the link.
The most significant variation was based on cognitive abilities, with 25% of low-achieving students deeming clicking the link as the appropriate course of action, in contrast to only 5% of those with top reading scores.
It is essential to acknowledge certain limitations of this study, including the fact that it relies on responses to survey questions, which may not entirely mirror teenagers’ real-life reactions. Professor Jerrim emphasized this as a crucial consideration in interpreting the research findings.
