As classrooms reopen and digital platforms become ingrained in school life, experts warn that rising online manipulation and AI-driven scams are exposing children and teenagers to new risks, prompting calls for increased digital safety education.
As classrooms fill up again, so do the online channels that now sit alongside school life. Class WhatsApp groups, learning platforms and digital homework systems have become routine, but they also give fraudsters more ways to reach children and teenagers. Fake classmates, bogus prize draws and links to supposed school materials are among the easiest lures, especially now that artificial intelligence can smooth over the clumsy language that once exposed many scams.
The warning from cyber security experts is simple: if anyone asks a child for a password, verification code, money, a photo or secrecy, the child should stop and tell an adult. Petr Kocmich, a cyber security specialist at Soitron, has argued that parents and grandparents should repeat that rule as often as they remind children not to go anywhere with strangers. The point, he says, is not to cut children off from digital communication, but to teach them how to recognise pressure and manipulation.
The risks are not limited to scams aimed at younger pupils. Once teenagers turn 18, they can legally manage money and take out loans, which also makes them easier targets for fraudsters posing as bank staff or authorities. The aim is often to frighten them into moving money to a so-called safe account after being told their own account has been compromised.
The broader research picture suggests the dangers are both widespread and changing. In February 2026, the Czech Telecommunication Office said its lecturers had spoken with more than 4,000 minors, teachers and parents about online manipulation, cyberbullying and exposure to unsuitable content. Masaryk University’s research team found in a 2025 survey of 2,567 children aged nine to 17 that 92% used smartphones daily, mainly for entertainment in the afternoons and evenings. Separate preliminary research by the Safer Internet Centre in the Czech Republic and Palacký University in Olomouc has pointed to rising online aggression among students, underlining how quickly the digital threat landscape keeps shifting.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to inform and educate, not to recommend or endorse any financial product, investment or strategy. Please consider your own financial circumstances and seek professional advice where appropriate before making financial decisions.
