The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) have issued guidance urging parents to consider restricting visibility of family pictures on social media, as AI-powered nudification apps and imaging tools are increasingly used by predators to create deepfake child sexual abuse material.
AI tools transform innocent selfies into abuse material
Two typical teenage selfies, showing fully clothed minors looking into a mirror, were taken by online predators and run through AI imaging tools to produce extreme pornography videos. These examples were flagged through the Report Remove service, which allows children to confidentially report explicit images distributed without consent. The cases highlight a new threat: under-18s can become victims without any direct contact with criminals, due to breakthroughs in AI and the wide availability of AI models and nudification apps.
Growing scale of AI-generated CSAM
According to the IWF, the amount of AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) found online rose by 14% last year. In 2025, the IWF identified 8,029 AI-made images and videos of realistic CSAM. Dan Sexton, the IWF's chief technology officer, said he feels “very uncomfortable” about advising parents not to post pictures of their children publicly, but sees no alternative given insufficient protections against this technology.
Government measures and calls for safe-by-design AI
The UK government is introducing legislation to make it illegal to possess, create or distribute AI tools designed to generate CSAM. It also plans to give tech companies and child protection agencies the power to test whether AI tools can produce child abuse images. Sexton emphasized the need for AI models to be “safe by design,” a principle he says is not currently being implemented. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has been approached for comment.
Challenges in distinguishing real from AI-generated abuse
The IWF reports that it is already impossible to distinguish between real photos of child sexual abuse and AI-generated material. While AI videos can still be identified by analysts, the only reliable method to confirm authenticity is when perpetrators claim credit for specific images on the dark web. Sexton noted that this is “a problem that needs to be solved,” but acknowledged the technology's rapid evolution may prevent achieving the necessary accuracy.
NCA guidance highlights offender behavior
Lorna Sinclair, a child sexual abuse education manager at the NCA, said the new guidance aims to alert parents to a danger many are unaware of. She explained that offenders are early adopters of technological advances, including AI. “We are still learning about AI as a society... The reality is that offenders will always be early adopters of technological advances,” she said. The NCA and IWF advise parents to make social media profiles private and share photos only in “close friends” groups.
