How to Teach Children to Spot Fake Messages, Scams and Online Tricks (Ages 5–10)

To spot fake messages, children aged 5 to 10 need one habit: stop, think, then show a Safe Adult before they click, reply or share anything. Scam messages work by rushing a child, so a pause is the most useful skill you can teach, and it does not need any technical knowledge.

This guide is written for parents, carers and teachers. It explains what fake messages aimed at children actually look like, the warning signs worth teaching, simple rules a six-year-old can remember, and what to do calmly if a child has already clicked something. The tone throughout is practical, not frightening, because children learn best when they feel safe to talk.

Why are children aged 5 to 10 targeted by fake messages?

Children are targeted because they are curious, trusting and often excited by games. Scammers know that a promise of a free reward, a prize or a secret level can make a child click before thinking, and a child has less experience of how tricks like this work.

Children in this age group are also online more than many parents expect. Ofcom’s 2025 report found that 41% of 6 to 7-year-olds and 63% of 8 to 9-year-olds play games online. The figures for the youngest children come from their parents, not from the children themselves.

Many children play with friends, but some play with people they have never met. That is where fake offers, friendly strangers and pretend friends can appear. Ofcom also found that 77% of parents of children aged 3 to 12 were concerned that their child could not tell what was real from what was fake online. If that worry sounds familiar, you are in good company, and there is plenty you can do.

What do fake messages aimed at children look like?

Fake messages aimed at children usually promise something exciting and ask for something small in return, such as a click, a username or a password. They appear inside games, in chat, in pop-ups, in videos, in emails and in text messages, so they are rarely in one single place.

Common examples include:

• Fake game rewards: “You won free coins, skins or upgrades. Click here to claim.”
• Fake competitions: pop-ups or websites saying a child has won a prize.
• Requests for log-in details: messages asking for a username, password or code “to check your account”.
• Pretend friends or gamers: someone claiming to be another child, a famous player or an influencer.
• Pretend help: a message saying an account has a problem and must be fixed straight away.

It helps to know that children can also spend money by accident. Ofcom’s Children’s Media Lives research, which follows a small group of children, recorded an eight-year-old buying in-game currency on a parent’s card without asking first. That was not a scam, but it shows how quickly a child can click on something that costs real money.

What are the warning signs that help children spot fake messages?

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) lists five common signs of a scam message: authority, urgency, emotion, scarcity and current events. These are written for adults, but each one translates well into something a child can understand.

You do not need to teach all five at once. For children aged 5 to 7, urgency and “free prize” are usually enough to start with. Children aged 8 to 10 can usually cope with the full list, especially if they can spot the signs in real examples.

What simple rules can children remember?

The best rules are short, repeated calmly and always end in the same place: asking a Safe Adult. A rule a child can say out loud is far more useful than a long explanation they forget by tomorrow.

The “Stop. Think. Ask.” habit

Many families find one phrase easier than a list. Stop means taking your hands off the screen. Think means asking, “Is it hurrying me? Is it giving me a big feeling? Is it offering something free?” Ask means showing a Safe Adult before doing anything else.

Five rules for the fridge door

• Do not click fast.
• Do not reply to strange messages.
• Do not press pop-ups without checking.
• Do not type your name, password or details.
• Always show a Safe Adult first.

These rules work best when they are repeated often and calmly, not only after something has gone wrong. Say them while you are doing something else, such as in the car or at the table, so that they feel ordinary rather than serious.

What can adults say to explain this without frightening a child?

Use plain, steady language and keep the message the same each time. Children pick up the feeling behind your words as well as the words themselves, so a calm voice matters as much as the script.

• “Not everything on a screen tells the truth.”
• “Some messages are made to trick people.”
• “If something tells you to hurry, stop and check.”
• “If a message feels strange, show me first.”
• “Real adults do not ask children to fix money or account problems online.”

It is also worth saying clearly, “You will never be in trouble for showing me something odd.” Children are much more likely to speak up when they expect a calm reaction. If a child hides things because they are afraid of losing their tablet, a scammer’s job becomes easier.

How can you practise spotting fake messages at home?

Practice works better than warnings. Children remember what they have tried, so short, playful rehearsals build confidence far more than a single serious talk. Five minutes now and then is enough.

Play “Real or fake?”

Make up three or four example messages on paper, such as “You won a free prize, click now” or “Your game account will close in one hour.” Read them out and ask, “Real or fake? What made you think so?” Use invented examples, not messages from your own child’s accounts. Let the child find the warning signs and praise them for noticing.

Try a pretend pop-up

For younger children, draw a pop-up on a piece of card with a big “Click here!” button. Ask what they would do. Practise saying, “I stop and I get my grown-up.” Repeating the exact words makes them easier to recall when a real pop-up appears.

Use stories

Stories let children explore tricky situations without feeling put on the spot. Characters who make a choice, feel a worry and then ask for help give children words they can borrow. The Guy & Cesar storybooks are written for exactly this reason, using characters and situations that children aged 5 to 10 can relate to.

Practice also helps older children in a different way. Eight to ten-year-olds often want to feel clever rather than protected, so give them the role of “scam detective” who teaches a younger sibling or a grown-up how to spot the tricks.

What should adults watch for?

Most children will never need more than these basic habits, but it helps to know what a problem can look like. A child who has been tricked may not say so, because they feel embarrassed or worried they have done something wrong.

• Closing a screen quickly or turning a device over when you walk in.
• Seeming upset, secretive or worried after playing or messaging.
• New items in a game that nobody has paid for, or purchases nobody agreed to.
• Being locked out of an account, or a password that suddenly stops working.
• Asking for a card, a gift card or money for something online.
• Talking about a new “friend” you have not heard about before.

Any one of these can have an ordinary explanation. The aim is not to worry, but to notice, stay curious and ask gently: “Is anything on your screen feeling odd or confusing?”

What should you do if a child has clicked something or shared details?

Stay calm, thank your child for telling you, and deal with the problem together. Whether the child clicked a link, replied or typed in a password, the most important thing is that they told you, so that should always be praised first.

Then work through the practical steps in this order:

• Close the page or app. Do not click anything else on it.
• Change passwords for any account where a password may have been shared, starting with the game or app involved.
• Check payment cards. If a card was used or card details were typed in, contact your bank or card provider straight away.
• Report the message. Forward scam texts to 7726 (free on most networks). Forward scam emails to re****@**********ov.uk. The NCSC asks people to report scams this way.
• Report a loss or fraud. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, use Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.
• Keep watching quietly. Check the account over the next few weeks for anything unusual.

If the message was frightening or inappropriate rather than a scam, our guide on helping a child after upsetting online content explains how to talk it through. For advice on a child’s wellbeing, the NSPCC helpline is open to adults on 0808 800 5000.

How do you build safer habits over time?

Spotting fake messages is part of a wider set of safe digital habits, not a one-off lesson. Children benefit from hearing the same ideas many times in different ways: that not everything online is honest, that fast decisions are often unsafe decisions, and that Safe Adults help with confusing moments.

Screen rules help too. Devices used in shared spaces make it easier for a child to say, “Can you look at this?” Our guide on how to talk to your child about screen time has ideas for starting these conversations without a row.

Common Questions Parents Ask

Final Thoughts

Teaching children to spot fake messages is not about making them afraid of screens. It is about helping them pause, notice the tricks and ask for help early. Children who know they will be listened to, not blamed, are the children who speak up when something feels wrong. Start with one rule this week, repeat it calmly, and build from there.

Sources

• Ofcom, Children and parents: media use and attitudes report 2025, 7 May 2025
• Ofcom, Children’s Media Lives 2025 summary report, 2025
• National Cyber Security Centre, Phishing: spotting and reporting scam messages, accessed 22 October 2026
• National Cyber Security Centre, Report a scam text message, accessed 22 October 2026
• National Cyber Security Centre, Report a scam email, accessed 22 October 2026
• City of London Police, Report Fraud service goes live, 4 December 2025
• Report Fraud, Report fraud and cyber crime, accessed 22 October 2026
• NSPCC, Online safety, accessed 22 October 2026