AI deepfake pornography of schoolchildren created and shared in UK schools
Students in UK secondary schools are using publicly available AI 'nudify' apps to create and share deepfake pornographic images of classmates, teachers and themselves. A poll found one in ten secondary teachers aware of such incidents in the past year, with three-quarters of victims aged 14 or under, causing significant psychological harm including shame, humiliation and social isolation.
What happened
Students in UK secondary schools are using widely available AI-powered 'nudify' apps to create deepfake pornographic images of their classmates, teachers, and sometimes themselves. A headteacher described observing a teenage boy casually using such an app on a school bus to create a fake nude image of a girl from a neighbouring school after selecting her picture from social media.
A poll of teachers conducted by Teacher Tapp for the Guardian found that one in ten secondary school teachers in England are aware of students creating deepfake sexually explicit videos in the last academic year. The majority of targets are girls and young women, though boys and teachers have also been targeted.
Reported impact
Victims report feeling violated, humiliated and betrayed, with school friendships shattered and difficulties facing peers in the classroom. One girl was reportedly so horrified by discovering such an image of herself circulating among classmates that she vomited.
The charity Everyone's Invited has documented cases of boys being targeted as well, causing significant distress and trauma to victims. Teachers report feeling overwhelmed and uncertain about how to handle these situations, with little training and inconsistent guidance available.
Index analysis
Three-quarters of the deepfake pornography incidents involving children target those aged 14 or younger, with some cases involving students as young as 11. The ease of access to these AI-powered tools has enabled widespread creation and sharing of such material among school-age children.
Governance controls
In the UK case observed by one headteacher, after the incident was reported by another student, the school contacted parents and reported the matter to police. However, a decision was made not to inform the targeted girl of the abuse, based on concerns about stigma and shame associated with image-based sexual abuse.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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