AI Nudify Apps: The New Front in Online Predator Exploitation

As students head back to school this fall, there is a new threat parents need to know about: AI-powered nudify apps. These tools use generative AI to create fake nude images from ordinary, fully clothed photos — and they are being used to target teens in schools across the country.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children reports a growing number of incidents involving classmates ages 14 to 17. With just a few clicks, realistic fake images are created from social media photos or school event pictures and shared through group chats. The harm is real, even if the images are not.

For predators and bullies alike, nudify apps have become a weapon. Teens are humiliated, harassed, and increasingly extorted — predators demanding money or more explicit content in exchange for not sharing the fake images. It is sextortion with a technological twist, and it is happening in more schools than most parents realize.

NCMEC recommends having the conversation early. Talk to your teen about AI before there is a problem. Explain that creating or sharing AI-generated explicit images of anyone is never okay. Encourage them to come to you if they see or receive something. They also offer a tool called Take It Down that helps stop the sharing of images across platforms.

The best defense is awareness. A simple conversation about AI, digital respect, and the risks of these apps can protect your child and someone else’s. If you or your child encounters this type of exploitation, report it to NCMEC’s CyberTipline immediately.

Source: NCMEC — Back-to-School Checklist: Talk About AI Nudify Apps

If you or someone you know has been targeted by an online predator, do not stay silent. Report it through our secure form or contact NCMEC’s CyberTipline. You can also install the Report a Pedophile browser plugin to help track and report suspicious activity online.