Abstract
Today, phishing attacks represent one of the biggest security threats targeting users of the digital world. They consist of an attempt to steal sensitive information, such as a user?s identity or credit and debit card details, using various methods that include fake emails, fake websites, and fake social media messages. Protecting the user?s security and privacy therefore becomes complex, especially when those users are children. Currently, children are participating in Internet activity more frequently than ever before. This activity includes, for example, online gaming, communication, and schoolwork. However, children tend to have a less well-developed knowledge of privacy and security concepts, compared to adults. Consequently, they often become victims of cybercrime. In this paper, the effects of security awareness on users who are children are investigated, looking at their ability to detect phishing attacks in social media. In this approach, two Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of security awareness on WhatsApp application users in their daily communication. The results of the Experiments revealed that phishing awareness training has a significant positive effect on the ability of children using WhatsApp to identify phishing messages and thereby avoid attacks.