Portuguese teens use AI to create and share fake nude images of peers
Portuguese adolescents have been using AI nudification applications to create and share fake nude images of their classmates, treating the practice as a prank. The phenomenon, first documented in 2024, predominantly affects girls and has resulted in criminal convictions for child sexual abuse material offences under Portuguese law.
What happened
Adolescents in Portugal have been creating and distributing AI-generated fake nude images of their peers using nudification applications. The first cases came to the attention of the Polícia Judiciária in 2024.
Most cases are reported by schools and involve teenagers aged 12 to 16 years old. The perpetrators view the creation and sharing of these images, often distributed through school WhatsApp groups, as pranks.
Reported impact
The victims are predominantly girls whose real faces appear on manipulated bodies. Some victims have been coerced to share self-produced sexual content under threats of disclosing the manipulated images.
The sharing of these images constitutes the crime of child sexual abuse material under Portuguese law, punishable by up to three years of imprisonment. At least some inquiries have resulted in accusations and convictions.
Index analysis
Although the manipulated images contain false bodies but real faces, their distribution is capable of constituting child sexual abuse material crimes. When perpetrators are under 16, cases are referred to the Family and Juvenile Court; those over 16 may be formally charged as suspects.
Governance controls
The Polícia Judiciária reported awareness of the manipulation of teenage photographs using AI nudification applications. The Guarda Nacional Republicana, present in schools, has observed the widespread distribution of such content.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.