Older people are more cyber-savvy about keeping themselves safe online than young people, government figures show

Although younger people are often thought of as more cyber-savvy than their parents, new government figures show that the reverse is true when it comes to online information security.

A study by the Home Office's Cyber Aware campaign showed 16-25 year olds are far more likely to reuse passwords than their parents and grandparents.

The results showed that 6pc of 16-25 year olds use the same password as their email password for all their accounts, compared to just 1pc of 45-54 year olds and 1pc of 55-75 year olds.

Similarly, 43pc of the younger age group say some of their passwords are the same as their email password, compared to 26pc of 35-44 year olds and 13pc of 55-75 year olds.

Password-sharing leaves accounts far more open to hacking, and puts users at risk of identity theft.

Experts have said this is due to young people prioritising convenience over safety, and also having more online accounts than those who are older.

James Jones, Head of Consumer Affairs at Experian said their research has found a sharp increase in fraud cases affecting the younger age group.

He told The Telegraph: "Experian research shows that attitudes to online safety vary significantly by age. Younger people tend to be more driven by convenience and rarely have more than five unique passwords.

"They are also far more likely to log in to multiple accounts using a single social media account. But what they may not realise is that this thirst for convenience leaves them more vulnerable to identity theft. We’ve certainly seen a sharp increase in the number of fraud cases affecting this age group."

Detective Inspector Mick Dodge, National Cyber PROTECT coordinator with the City of London Police said: "It may come as a surprise that younger people – typically assumed to be more tech savvy than their older counterparts – are putting themselves at risk by reusing their email password for other accounts.

"Those aged 18-25 tend to set up more online accounts than their parents and grandparents and can struggle to remember passwords for them all.  It’s a common problem but reusing an email password for other accounts is not the solution – by doing this they are leaving their emails wide open to criminals. Picking one strong and separate password for your email account can help people stay safe online and protect your personal and financial information from criminals."