States With the Most Cybercrime Against Kids and Teens [Data]

Kids are going online earlier than ever, and criminals have noticed. In 2025, 11,092 internet crime complaints were filed with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for digital crimes targeting Americans under the age of 18, equating to 15.2 reports for every 100,000 teens and children across the country.

In certain states, underage victims were targeted at far higher rates than their peers. Alaska leads the country with 36.2 youth complaints per 100,000 minors, more than double the overall rate across the U.S.

To find where young internet users are most at risk, the All About Cookies research team analyzed the FBI's 2025 Internet Crime Report to see the states where cybercrimes targeting children and teens were reported most and least frequently last year.

Key findings

• Young Americans filed 11,092 cybercrime complaints in 2025, and monetary losses from those reports totaled more than $11.1 million.
• Alaska has the highest report rate, at 36.2 complaints per 100,000 minors, more than double the national average of 15.2 per 100K.
• The lowest report rate comes from South Dakota, at just 10.1 cybercrime reports per capita.
• Extortion is the most common complaint type, accounting for about 41% of categorized youth complaints.
• Investment scams caused the biggest losses, amounting to more than $4.7 million in total money lost, with an average loss of $20,015 per complaint.

States where kids are targeted most

Nationally, kids and teens filed 15.2 cybercrime complaints per 100,000 minors in 2025, but a handful of states far exceed that rate.

Alaska tops the list at 36.2 complaints per 100,000 minors, followed by Nevada (29.4) and Arizona (21.5). Western states dominate the top of the ranking, a pattern that often tracks with higher rates of household device use and early internet adoption among kids.

Notably, a high complaint rate does not always mean high losses. Alaska's average loss per youth complaint was just $77, suggesting many reports involve scams caught early or low-dollar schemes like gaming and social media fraud rather than large financial theft.

States with the highest rate of youth cybercrime complaints

1. Alaska

• Complaints per 100,000 minors: 36.2
• Total complaints: 63
• Average loss per complaint: $77

2. Nevada

• Complaints per 100,000 minors: 29.4
• Total complaints: 202
• Average loss per complaint: $200

3. Arizona

• Complaints per 100,000 minors: 21.5
• Total complaints: 341
• Average loss per complaint: $1,442

4. Colorado

• Complaints per 100,000 minors: 19.9
• Total complaints: 240
• Average loss per complaint: $229

5. Idaho

• Complaints per 100,000 minors: 19.5
• Total complaints: 91
• Average loss per complaint: $79

Where cybercrime against kids costs the most

While most youth complaints involve small dollar amounts, a few states report far steeper average losses, often because a small number of high-value scams skew the average in states with low complaint volume.

Georgia stands out: despite one of the lowest complaint rates in the country, its average loss of $9,739 per youth complaint is the highest nationwide. High-value schemes such as dating scams and online investment or cryptocurrency scams can produce outsized losses even when the number of victims is small, making one of the best identity theft protection services worthwhile for families.

States with the highest average loss per youth cybercrime complaint

1. Georgia

• Total complaints: 317
• Total amount lost: $3,087,376
• Average loss per complaint: $9,739

2. Utah

• Total complaints: 168
• Total amount lost: $1,017,481
• Average loss per complaint: $6,056

3. South Carolina

• Total complaints: 165
• Total amount lost: $758,428
• Average loss per complaint: $4,597

4. West Virginia

• Total complaints: 55
• Total amount lost: $153,035
• Average loss per complaint: $2,782

5. New Mexico

• Total complaints: 62
• Total amount lost: $170,580
• Average loss per complaint: $2,751

The most common scams targeting kids

When it comes to how kids are targeted, one crime type towers over the rest.

Extortion accounts for 5,151 complaints, about 41% of all categorized youth complaints, which is more than the next four categories combined. The low average loss of $91 points to coercion-based schemes, in which criminals pressure minors for images or compliance rather than money.

Personal data breaches were the number two most common cybercrime committed against minors, with 1,510 complaints falling into that category. Third place goes to cybercrimes categorized as “Other,” meaning they did not neatly fit into one of the 25 overarching categories the FBI tracks. 1,460 complaints fell into that bucket and accounted for more than $1.8 million in total losses.

Most common cybercrime complaint types among kids and teens

1. Extortion

• Complaints: 5,151
• Total losses: $468,831
• Average loss per complaint: $91

2. Personal data breach

• Complaints: 1,510
• Total losses: $500,264
• Average loss per complaint: $331

3. Other

• Complaints: 1,460
• Total losses: $1,810,134
• Average loss per complaint: $1,240

4. Harassment/stalking

• Complaints: 1,053
• Total losses: $203,807
• Average loss per complaint: $194

5. Phishing/spoofing

• Complaints: 878
• Total losses: $77,852
• Average loss per complaint: $89

The scams that cost kids the most

The most common online scams against kids are not the ones costing them the most money.

Investment fraud drained more than $4.7 million from young victims, accounting for roughly 37% of all youth losses. With just 237 reports filed, that averages out to $20,015 per complaint. A single investment scam can cost thousands, so families should treat unsolicited money-making offers aimed at kids and teens with heavy skepticism.

Cybercrime types with the highest losses among kids and teens

1. Investment

• Complaints: 237
• Total losses: $4,743,664
• Average loss per complaint: $20,015

2. Other

• Complaints: 1,460
• Total losses: $1,810,134
• Average loss per complaint: $1,240

3. Data breach

• Complaints: 9
• Total losses: $1,693,400
• Average loss per complaint: $188,156

4. Government impersonation

• Complaints: 99
• Total losses: $1,412,003
• Average loss per complaint: $14,263

5. Non-payment/non-delivery

• Complaints: 825
• Total losses: $648,538
• Average loss per complaint: $786

Why cybercrime against young people is rising

Kids and teens spend more of their lives online than any generation before them, and that exposure creates openings for criminals. Several forces drive the trend:

• Screen time on social media, gaming platforms, and messaging apps where scammers and predators operate
• A documented rise in sextortion schemes targeting teenagers, according to FBI research
• Gaming-related scams, including fake in-game currency and account theft
• Limited experience spotting phishing and social engineering tactics

Because minors rarely manage their own finances, many youth scams aim at information or images rather than cash, which is why extortion complaints are so common while average losses stay low. The exceptional cases, in which a single investment or data breach scam drains thousands of dollars, are exactly why families benefit from layered protections like antivirus software and strong, unique passwords on every account.

Youth cybercrime by state

Below is the full breakdown of cybercrime complaints involving victims aged 17 and younger by state.

State	Reports	Monetary Loss	Average Loss	Reports per 100,000 teens
Alabama	175	$52,541	$300	15.5
Alaska	63	$4,880	$77	36.2
Arizona	341	$491,722	$1,442	21.5
Arkansas	89	$3,479	$39	12.7
California	1,492	$719,483	$482	17.7
Colorado	240	$55,032	$229	19.9
Connecticut	129	$43,520	$337	17.7
Delaware	34	$475	$14	15.9
District of Columbia	23	$34,840	$1,515	17.7
Florida	702	$211,888	$302	15.6
Georgia	317	$3,087,376	$9,739	12.5
Hawaii	37	$6,231	$168	12.6
Idaho	91	$7,171	$79	19.5
Illinois	371	$269,389	$726	13.8
Indiana	226	$10,691	$47	14.3
Iowa	82	$14,576	$178	11.3
Kansas	94	$47,016	$500	13.7
Kentucky	143	$37,653	$263	14.0
Louisiana	111	$14,661	$132	10.4
Maine	44	$9,345	$212	18.0
Maryland	224	$14,395	$64	16.4
Massachusetts	195	$101,315	$520	14.4
Michigan	292	$148,264	$508	13.9
Minnesota	180	$76,832	$427	13.9
Mississippi	91	$3,041	$33	13.5
Missouri	205	$24,678	$120	15.0
Montana	33	$2,261	$69	14.3
Nebraska	71	$6,404	$90	14.8
Nevada	202	$40,475	$200	29.4
New Hampshire	38	$1,862	$49	15.3
New Jersey	240	$85,885	$358	11.7
New Mexico	62	$170,580	$2,751	14.0
New York	539	$578,293	$1,073	13.6
North Carolina	365	$27,457	$75	15.5
North Dakota	23	$2,365	$103	12.9
Ohio	337	$53,439	$159	13.1
Oklahoma	160	$39,442	$247	16.6
Oregon	146	$59,874	$410	17.7
Pennsylvania	366	$46,527	$127	13.9
Rhode Island	35	$1,021	$29	17.2
South Carolina	165	$758,428	$4,597	14.3
South Dakota	22	$4,080	$185	10.1
Tennessee	197	$27,917	$142	12.5
Texas	1,082	$1,676,326	$1,549	14.1
Utah	168	$1,017,481	$6,056	18.0
Vermont	16	$744	$47	14.3
Virginia	292	$150,736	$516	15.6
Washington	312	$758,830	$2,432	18.9
West Virginia	55	$153,035	$2,782	15.8
Wisconsin	154	$14,612	$95	12.5
Wyoming	21	$13,749	$655	16.8
United States	11,092	$11,182,317	$1,008	15.2

Youth cybercrime by number of reports and monetary losses

Below is the full breakdown of how often different cybercrimes targeting minors were reported as well as how much money victims lost to each type of crime.

Cybercrime	Count	Money Lost	Average Loss
Extortion	5,151	$468,831	$91
Personal Data Breach	1,510	$500,264	$331
Other	1,460	$1,810,134	$1,240
Harassment/Stalking	1,053	$203,807	$194
Phishing/Spoofing	878	$77,852	$89
Non-payment/NonDelivery	825	$648,538	$786
Threats of Violence	251	$1,547	$6
Employment	246	$106,727	$434
Investment	237	$4,743,664	$20,015
Identity Theft	181	$510,553	$2,821
Overpayment	164	$61,918	$378
Credit Card/Check Fraud	125	$121,506	$972
Advanced Fee	102	$23,765	$233
Government Impersonation	99	$1,412,003	$14,263
Tech Support	85	$396,487	$4,665
Botnet	65	$82	$1
Confidence/Romance	57	$75,440	$1,324
IPR/Copyright and Counterfeit	42	$72,188	$1,719
Malware	29	$35	$1
Real Estate	23	$43,861	$1,907
Charity	16	$4,552	$285
Lottery/Sweepstakes/ Inheritance	13	$488	$38
Data Breach	9	$1,693,400	$188,156
Ransomware	5	$0	$0
BEC	4	$10,750	$2,688
SIM Swap	1	$0	$0

How to protect the kids in your life online

• Install antivirus software on devices: Good antivirus software can block malware and phishing attempts before a child clicks something dangerous.
• Set up a password manager for kids: A password manager makes it easy for the whole family to use strong, unique passwords across games, apps, and school accounts.
• Turn on two-factor authentication: Adding a second login step via two-factor authentication keeps accounts secure even if a child's password is guessed or stolen.

Methodology

The All About Cookies research team analyzed the FBI's 2025 Internet Crime Report, focusing on sections detailing crimes targeting victims aged 17 and younger. Data from the U.S. Census was used to calculate the number of complaints per 100,000 minors in each state.

Average loss is total reported losses divided by the number of complaints. Crime-type figures come from the report's complaint-type breakdown for this age group; because a single complaint can be tagged with more than one type, the type totals exceed the overall complaint count, and shares are calculated against categorized complaints.