Back-to-School Checklist: Talk About AI “Nudify” Apps
As families prepare for a new school year, there's one conversation many parents may not realize they need to have: AI-powered "nudify" apps.
Many parents have never heard of these tools. Unfortunately, many kids have.
“Nudify” apps use AI to create fake nude or sexually explicit images from ordinary, fully clothed photos. A child’s picture from social media, a school event or even a friend’s phone can be manipulated without their knowledge or permission. These images can also be created using free AI image generators and chatbots, making this technology easy to access. While the images aren’t real, the harm they cause is.
NCMEC is seeing a growing number of these incidents in schools across the country, most often involving classmates ages 14 to 17. With just a few clicks, realistic-looking fake images can be created and quickly shared through group chats and social media, leaving victims feeling humiliated, harassed and emotionally distressed.
The good news? One of the best ways to help protect your child is to talk about AI before there is a problem. Here are a few ways to start the conversation and add AI safety to your back-to-school checklist:
Educate yourself first. Learn how generative AI works and how children may be using these tools, including how they can be misused to create AI explicit images.
Start the conversation early. Talk with your child about AI before there is a problem. Explain how these tools can be used responsibly and how they can also be misused to hurt others.
Set expectations and encourage upstanders. Make it clear that creating or sharing AI-generated nude images of another person is never okay. If your child receives or sees one, they should not save or share it. Instead, encourage them to tell a trusted adult.
Keep the conversation going. Technology changes quickly, so check in regularly about new apps, online trends and what your child is seeing or experiencing. Let them know they can always come to you if they encounter a problem online.
Know what to do if it happens. Talk with your child about what to do if an AI-generated explicit image is made of them or a friend. Encourage them to tell a trusted adult, report the image to the platform and report it to NCMEC’s CyberTipline.
In addition to reporting to the CyberTipline, victims of AI-generated explicit images can use Take It Down to help stop the sharing of images. NCMEC also offers guidance for talking with children about AI and online safety. Parents can also talk with their child’s school about how it responds to AI-generated explicit images and share NCMEC’s resources for educators, including tip sheets and a safety presentation focused on this issue.
As students head back to school this fall, backpacks aren’t the only things that have changed. Technology has, too. A simple conversation about AI, respect and digital responsibility can help protect your child, and someone else’s, from harm. NCMEC has resources to help you have these conversations and keep kids safer online.
For more back to school safety tips, visit our website here: https://www.ncmec.org/backtoschool.