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Deepfakes and Image-Based Abuse

Deepfake pornography is a growing form of image-based sexual abuse, increasingly affecting children and young people in schools.

What is Deepfake Pornography?

Deepfake pornography is a form of image-based sexual abuse where artificial intelligence (AI) is used to create or alter sexual images or videos so that they appear to show a real person without their consent. This can include digitally removing clothing, animating images in a sexual way, or placing a person’s face onto explicit material.

Although deepfakes are often discussed in relation to celebrities, there is growing evidence that children and young people are being targeted more frequently. In many cases, this involves the use of “nudification” tools, which can generate realistic explicit images from ordinary photos.

Data from the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) highlights a significant increase in AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM). This means that harm can occur even where no original explicit image exists.

What is happening in schools?

Recent research and reporting show that deepfake pornography is no longer rare or isolated.

  • Teachers across England report pupils using “nudify” apps to create fake sexual images of classmates.
  • Most incidents involve girls aged 14 or under, with cases reported involving children as young as 11.
  • Similar incidents have been documented in the Spain, Australia and the United States.
  • Surveys of young people show that many have already seen sexually explicit deepfake images of friends, teachers, celebrities or themselves.

Often, these images are created from content already available online. This can include social media posts, school photographs, or group images where the individual has not consented to any manipulation.

In some situations, schools or parents choose not to inform the child affected due to concerns about stigma or distress. However, this can leave the child without support or an understanding of what has happened.

Gender, power and consent

Evidence consistently shows that the vast majority of sexually explicit deepfakes online are of women and girls. This reflects wider patterns of misogyny, sexual entitlement and gender-based violence.

Researchers and educators warn that:

  • Deepfake tools are being trivialised as jokes, filters or “pranks”.
  • Social media platforms normalise harmful uses of AI.
  • These practices undermine consent and personal boundaries.

However, boys and young men can also be targeted, and their experiences must not be dismissed. In some cases, they are specifically targeted for coercion, threats, or financial exploitation using AI-generated images.

Any non-consensual sexual image is abuse, regardless of who is targeted.

Why deepfake pornography causes such serious harm

Deepfake sexual images can be devastating. Survivors often describe feeling violated, humiliated and powerless. Unlike other forms of online abuse, deepfakes can feel intensely personal because the image looks like you.  For children and young people, this can be especially difficult to process, particularly where images are shared within peer groups.

 

 

Research and survivor testimony highlight impacts including:

Shock, distress, nausea and panic

Shame and fear of being judged or blamed

Withdrawal from school, work or social life

Breakdown of friendships and trust

Long-term trauma and anxiety

For children and young people, the harm can be compounded by:

Peer pressure and gossip within schools

Limited understanding of consent and the law

Inconsistent responses from schools and authorities

A lack of specialist support

In some cases, deepfake abuse is linked to sextortion. This involves using real or AI-generated sexual images to threaten, manipulate, or extort money or further content.
It can also involve young people creating or sharing images without understanding that their actions may amount to a serious criminal offence.

Judge's Gavel

What Does The Law Say?

Deepfake technology itself is not illegal. However, how it is used may lead to criminal offences.

In the UK, creating or sharing sexual images of someone without consent can fall under:

  • Image-based sexual abuse
  • Harassment and stalking
  • Child sexual abuse material (if a child is depicted)

Recent legislation, including the Online Safety Act and updates to intimate image abuse laws, is intended to strengthen protections and improve accountability. However, awareness and understanding of the law remain inconsistent.

This can affect how cases are identified and responded to in practice.

If you are unsure whether a crime has been committed, Safeline can provide confidential guidance.

Support for parents, carers and professionals

If you are supporting a child or young person affected by deepfake abuse:

  • Take their feelings seriously
  • Avoid minimising or dismissing what has happened
  • Reassure them that they are not at fault
  • Seek specialist support early

A trauma-informed response can make a significant difference to recovery.

Preventative work is also important. Simply restricting access to technology is unlikely to be effective, as many young people can access these tools easily.

What does help:

  • Clear education about consent, respect and sexual ethics.
  • Media literacy and critical understanding of AI.
  • Honest conversations about harm and accountability.
  • Adults feeling confident to address these issues directly.

Cases have shown that education works. Young people who understand online abuse are more likely to recognise it and report it.

If this has happened to you

If someone has created or shared a sexual image of you – or someone you know – without consent, you are not to blame.

You may be feeling confused, ashamed or frightened – especially if the person responsible is someone you know. These feelings are common, but you do not have to deal with this alone.

References

This resource draws on research, reporting and expert analysis from the following sources:

Safeline also draws on its direct work with survivors of sexual abuse and exploitation to inform this content.