Sexual deepfakes of Brazilian schoolchildren created by student peers
Researchers at SaferNet Brasil documented 16 cases of sexual deepfakes created by student peers in Brazilian schools between 2023 and 2025, affecting at least 72 student victims across ten states. The images were generated using accessible AI tools and involved 57 perpetrators, all minors, with most incidents occurring at private schools where official authorities had limited visibility.
What happened
Between 2023 and 2025, SaferNet Brasil identified 16 cases of sexual deepfakes in Brazilian schools across ten states spanning all five regions of the country. The images were created using generative AI to place faces of students onto nude or sexually explicit content without consent.
All 57 identified perpetrators were minors under 18 years old at the time of the incidents. The cases involved at least 72 victims total. In Itapetininga, São Paulo, parents of students at a private school reported in September 2025 that a student peer had manipulated nude images using AI. In Itararé, São Paulo, two adolescents aged 15 and 16 were investigated in 2024 by police for creating fake nudes of schoolmates at a state school using AI.
Reported impact
The deepfake images violated the privacy and dignity of student victims. Most documented cases occurred in private schools, where incidents were identified through media reports and victim/witness accounts rather than official monitoring.
Index analysis
São Paulo recorded the highest number of cases with four incidents. The remaining 12 cases were distributed across Alagoas, Bahia, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Pará, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Sul.
The cases emerged as generative AI tools became more accessible starting in 2023, enabling creation of increasingly realistic synthetic images.
Governance controls
In the Itapetininga case, the student was suspended by the school after police involvement. In Itararé, the case was registered under the law criminalizing simulation of child sexual abuse material.
SaferNet Brasil conducted a continuous mapping study financed by the SafeOnline fund managed by UNICEF to identify cases and gather reports from victims and witnesses, revealing a gap in official monitoring of the issue by authorities.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.