Real-Life Examples from the Proxyware Digital Crime Index
Harms Students Encounter Online
The effectiveness of child safety measures should be judged by one standard: Do they prevent access, reduce exposure, and interrupt harm?
Adult Content Exposure Incident
Kids can encounter explicit sexual content while using trusted websites and educational devices. These exposures often occur through malicious advertising, compromised pages, or deceptive redirects, not by intentional searches.
AI is making sextortion scams more convincing and more widespread. Students are increasingly targeted through fake identities, manipulated images, and coercive messages designed to exploit fear, shame, and isolation.
Malicious code can reach school-issued devices through compromised websites, advertising networks, or third-party content. These infections can expose student data, degrade device security, and create ongoing digital risks.
Cybercriminals increasingly target students with fake giveaways, gaming offers, shopping scams, and payment requests designed to steal money, credentials, or personal information from young users and their families.
Online games have become common places for predators to initiate conversations with children. Trusted gaming environments can be exploited to build relationships, manipulate trust, and move communications to private channels.
Students are routinely exposed to advertising promoting vaping, cannabis, alcohol, and other age-restricted products. These promotions can appear through legitimate websites and advertising systems accessed on school devices.
Attackers use convincing messages, fake login pages, and impersonation tactics to trick students into revealing passwords or authentication codes, giving criminals unauthorized access to school and personal accounts.
Some online communities and malicious actors encourage self-harm through manipulation, coercion, or harmful content recommendations. Vulnerable students can be exposed without actively seeking this material, increasing emotional and psychological risk.
