Fake Nudes Teens: How to Protect Your Children From Fake Nudes Teens

Teenagers now have easy access to technology that makes nonconsensual intimate imagery of peers seem normal and acceptable. Deepfakes allow people to quickly generate realistic photos depicting others without their consent in compromising or explicit situations, then share them through social media and messaging apps. Unfortunately, this trend is spreading quickly across high schools and communities as AI image generation apps become misused to harass peers.

Although it is impossible to ascertain exactly the scope of this problem, recent news reports and Thorn surveys indicate that teens clearly understand that creating or sharing such images is dangerous, with most who were targeted reporting being subjected to some form of abuse (though many are reluctant to seek support).

Many victims feel ashamed or guilty for having experienced abuse and may worry that their perpetrators won’t be believed or punished; but as Elliston Berry and other students’ stories demonstrate, raising this issue to light is key to protecting children.

Parents can assist by opening up communications with their kids, encouraging them to seek assistance if they experience harm or witness it happen, teaching digital literacy and online safety lessons to teens, including sharing or creating inappropriate content, as well as helping their teens develop skills needed for asking for assistance by building trust within the home and creating an atmosphere of empathy.