Deepfakes and Your Child: The New Face of Online Exploitation

Artificial intelligence has made it possible to create realistic images of anyone — including your child — from a single photo. Predators and even peers are now using generative AI to fabricate nude or explicit imagery of real children, then sharing it or using it to threaten and manipulate them. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) calls this one of the fastest-growing risks in online safety today.

NCMEC explains the danger clearly. Tools that start as harmless apps can be turned into “nudify” programs, and a clear profile picture is all an abuser needs to create and weaponize fake imagery of a child. Beyond the images themselves, AI is used to build fake accounts that approach children with the intent to commit a sexual offense, and classmates use it to create harmful content that circulates in schools. In one widely reported case, AI-generated nude images of 44 high school girls were created from photos they had posted online.

What families can do:

• Talk regularly about AI and the risks of sharing images publicly.
• Lock down privacy settings so strangers cannot pull profile photos.
• Remind kids they can always come to a trusted adult without blame.
• Report any fake or exploitative imagery of a child to law enforcement and the CyberTipline.

Creating or sharing AI-generated nude images of a child is illegal and deeply harmful. If you suspect a child is being exploited online, act now and report it.

Report a Predator and help keep a child safe.

Read the full guide: Generative AI — NetSmartz (NCMEC).