UK children report surge in AI-generated explicit deepfakes
UK children have reported a sharp increase in explicit deepfake images of themselves created with AI tools, with 420 cases reported in the first half of 2026 alone. The Internet Watch Foundation and National Crime Agency warn the trend reflects improved AI capabilities and widespread availability of image manipulation tools, with some victims targeted for sextortion.
What happened
The Report Remove service received 420 reports from UK children in the first six months of 2026 of explicit deepfake images of themselves, exceeding its total of 397 reports for all of 2025.
The Internet Watch Foundation reported that the majority of manipulated images submitted to Report Remove in 2025 and 2026 met the threshold for child sexual abuse material (CSAM). AI tools have made it easier to create sexualised or 'nudified' content by digitally manipulating benign images of children obtained from online sources.
Reported impact
Children reported seeing explicit deepfakes of themselves online. Some victims were reportedly targeted for sextortion schemes, in which perpetrators threaten to publicize manipulated images unless recipients provide payment or additional explicit content.
The Internet Watch Foundation's chief technology officer stated that once an explicit deepfake of a child is created from a public image, there is nothing the child can do to stop it apart from preventing anyone from taking pictures of them or not putting pictures online.
Index analysis
AI image generators and nudification tools have become widely available and more capable, enabling the rapid creation of synthetic child sexual abuse material using real children's images from social media and other online sources.
Creating and distributing AI-generated CSAM is illegal in the UK. The Internet Watch Foundation warned that AI would be used to manipulate images of real people and create such material.
Governance controls
The National Crime Agency and Internet Watch Foundation issued guidance to parents and schools to limit online visibility of children's photographs through private social media accounts, restricted sharing, and removal of identifiable images from school websites.
Online safety experts have called for technology companies to implement stronger safeguards within their AI products to prevent creation of explicit material.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.