Tips for Parents: Deepfakes, Synthetic Pornography, & Virtual Child Sexual Abuse Material

Question: What can I do if I think my child has been involved in AI-generated, image-based sexual abuse? 

Answer: Stay calm, be a listening ear, gather evidence, and take action if possible. 

This issue is very anxiety-inducing and scary! If you’re a parent or caregiver of a child involved in AI-generated, image-based sexual abuse, it is crucial to put yourself in the kid’s shoes and let them know that you’re there for them and that it’s not their fault.

Here are tips on how to move forward and resources that may be helpful: 

• Listen without judging or criticizing and thank your child for being brave enough to share this scary situation with you 
• Take steps to ensure your child’s safety 
  
  • Collect evidence of the abusive content. 
  • Block and report the bad actor making and distributing this content on all platforms so that the intimate image or recording can be taken down and threats about sharing it can be stopped (Youth are twice as likely to disclose an unwanted online sexual interaction through a digital safety tool than to tell a parent or caregiver!). 
  • Enforce age-appropriate parental controls and/or privacy settings on all platforms (see our Glossary of Digital Media Platforms for more information on the available settings). 
• Monitor your child’s mental health symptoms and overall well-being: 
  
  • Look for unusual changes in mood, sleep patterns, appetite, energy levels, desire to socialize with friends and family, and consistent attendance at school and extracurricular activities. Reach out to your pediatrician or health professional if you notice any concerning changes. 
  • Look for additional guidance on stopping sextortion, talking about sexting and image-based abuse with youth, consent, and much more on Thorn for Parents.

References 

• Eelmaa, S. (2022). Sexualization of Children in Deepfakes and Hentai. Trames, XXVI(2), 229–248.    
• Okolie, C. (2023). Artificial Intelligence-Altered Videos (Deepfakes) and Data Privacy Concerns. Journal of International Women’s Studies, 25, 13.   
• Kim, S., & Banks, J. (2024). Expanding experiences and anxieties: Gender-identity and sexual-orientation differences in attitudes toward synthetic pornography. Porn Studies, 1–19.  
• Tenbarge, K. (2024, July 24). Defiance Act passes in the Senate, potentially allowing deepfake victims to sue over nonconsensual images. (2024, July 24). NBC News. 

Age: 10-24 

Topics: deepfakes, synthetic sexual images, synthetic pornography, sexual abuse, sexual violence, image-generative AI 

Role: Parent