AI Fake Nudes of Your Child: Act Now

If someone has used AI to make a nude or sexual image of your child, or has threatened to share one, act in a fixed order and you can stop it spreading. The steps below reflect current UK guidance from CEOP and the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF). The first thing to know is that this is child sexual abuse material, and that you have done nothing wrong.

What AI-generated abuse looks like

AI tools can take an ordinary photo from social media and make a child appear naked or in a sexual pose. Some can build a convincing image from a face alone. Others are edited by people who have learned how to use general-purpose tools for this. The image may look completely real. It does not need to have been shared to cause harm.

Under UK law, AI-generated and AI-edited images that show children in sexual situations are treated as child sexual abuse material. Making, possessing or sharing them is a crime, whether the child in the picture is real or the image was fully generated.

Watch for these warning signs:

• Your child is suddenly upset, withdrawn or refusing to go to school.
• They mention that someone has a picture of them, or that a fake exists.
• Someone is asking for money, or for more pictures, to stop it being shared.
• A classmate or unknown account has contacted them about an image.
• You find a message or image that threatens to share something sexual.

Step 1: Stay calm and do not save the image

Your reaction matters, because your child is watching how you respond. Take a breath before you speak.

Do not forward, download, screenshot or save the image, even to show someone. Possessing it, even briefly, can be an offence. Instead, write down the web address, the account or username, the date, and what the message says. That is enough for a report.

Step 2: Get it reported

Work through these in order:

1. Report it on the platform. Use the Report button on the post, profile or message. Choose the option for sexual content involving a child if one is listed.