AI deepfakes are synthetic media — images, videos, or audio — generated by artificial intelligence to look and sound like real people. Until recently, creating convincing deepfakes required technical skill. In 2026, anyone with a phone can do it in seconds. This has created an entirely new category of threat against children.
How Deepfake Technology Works
Modern AI tools use a technique called diffusion modelling (the same technology behind tools like Midjourney and DALL-E). You feed the AI a few photos of a person, and it learns their face well enough to generate new images of them in any scenario — including explicit ones. No nudity is required. A school photo, a social media selfie, even a yearbook picture is enough.
A 13-year-old girl's classmates used a free "nudify" app to superimpose her face onto explicit images. The images were shared in a private group chat with over 40 students. She had never taken an inappropriate photo in her life. The psychological damage was devastating.
Who Is Doing This?
There are three main groups creating deepfakes of children:
- Classmates and peers — Often as a "joke" or form of cyberbullying. They do not always understand the legal and psychological consequences.
- Online predators — Using deepfakes as grooming tools, to blackmail, or to create CSAM without a real victim's involvement.
- Commercial operations — Websites and apps that sell or distribute AI-generated explicit content, including content depicting minors.
Why This Is Different From Traditional Cyberbullying
Traditional cyberbullying requires some form of original content. Deepfakes do not. A child can be victimised without ever having taken a single inappropriate photo. This means the usual advice — "don't send nudes" — is no longer sufficient. The threat has fundamentally changed.
Key Distinction
In many jurisdictions, creating, distributing, or possessing AI-generated CSAM is a criminal offence — even if no real child was photographed. The law is catching up, but enforcement remains challenging.
Warning Signs Your Child May Be a Victim
- Sudden distress after using their phone or computer
- Being bullied or ostracised at school with no clear reason
- Classmates acting strangely or making inappropriate comments
- Your child mentions "fake photos" or "AI images" being shared
- A sudden desire to change schools or withdraw from social activities
- Discovery of deepfake apps or "nudify" tools on their device
What to Do If Your Child Is a Victim
Screenshot and Document
Capture everything — the images, who shared them, where they were posted, and any messages about them. Timestamps and usernames are critical evidence.
Report to Platforms
Every major platform (Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Discord) now has specific reporting options for non-consensual intimate imagery and deepfakes. Use them.
Report to Law Enforcement
Deepfake CSAM is a crime. Report it to local police, Cybertip.ca, or NCMEC CyberTipline. Include all documentation.
Use NCMEC Take It Down
The free Take It Down service at takeitdown.ncmec.org can help remove non-consensual intimate images of minors from the internet.
Prevention Strategies
- Limit public photos — Review your child's social media privacy settings. Make profiles private. Limit who can see their photos.
- Educate your child — Explain that AI tools exist that can create fake images from normal photos. This is not about scarring them — it is about awareness.
- Talk about consent — Creating and sharing deepfake images of someone without their consent is a violation — and increasingly a crime.
- Monitor for deepfake apps — Check your child's device for apps with names like "nudify," "deepnude," or similar. These are warning signs.
- Build trust — Your child needs to know they can come to you if this happens. Punishing them for something that was done to them will only ensure they never tell you.