What Parents Should Know About AI-Generated Images of Children

Artificial intelligence is making it disturbingly easy to turn a normal photo of a child into something harmful. The pace is staggering: the Internet Watch Foundation identified 3,440 AI-generated videos of child sexual abuse in 2025, a more than 260-fold jump from just 13 the year before. This is no longer a niche or a distant threat — it is now a mainstream tool in online exploitation.

The key point for parents is that AI-generated child sexual abuse material is still child sexual abuse material. It is illegal, and it causes real harm, even when the image was artificially created. Offenders do not need special expertise anymore. Anyone with an internet connection can use free tools to turn a clothed picture into a fake, sexualized image of a child, then use it for blackmail or coercion.

That is why how we share children’s images matters more than ever. The Internet Watch Foundation and the National Crime Agency have just issued new guidance for parents and carers, and it centers on image consent. It is worth revisiting the conversation as children grow: ask whether you are still comfortable with how your child’s images might be used, and be willing to limit or withdraw consent. Consider a close friends group for sharing photos, and talk openly with your child about images and consent before problems arise.

The guidance also tells parents what to do if their child is targeted. Stay calm, listen without judgment, and let your child know it is not their fault. Gather evidence, block and report the account on every platform, and enforce privacy settings. Reporting matters — it is how these images get taken down and how offenders are pursued.

Technology will keep changing, but the fundamentals of protecting kids have not: stay involved, keep the conversation open, and take action when something feels wrong.

Read the full IWF guidance for parents and carers

Report a predator — if you have seen something concerning online, say something. Your report could protect a child.