If your child is shown in an AI-generated or manipulated intimate image, tell them they are not to blame. Don’t forward the image or ask them to send it to you to prove what happened. Check first for threats or immediate danger, then report the post to the platform and use the child-specific reporting options from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).
Start by supporting your child and checking their safety
Stay calm, listen, and make clear that responsibility lies with the person who created or shared the image. A fabricated image can still cause real harm: UNICEF put it plainly in its 4 February 2026 statement: “Deepfake abuse is abuse, and there is nothing fake about the harm it causes.”
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Ask whether anyone is demanding money, more images, passwords, access to accounts or devices, or an in-person meeting. Ask whether your child feels in immediate danger. If there is an immediate safety threat, contact local emergency services.
Do not circulate the image
Do not repost, forward, or send the image around to prove what happened. Avoid creating additional copies of sexualized imagery of a minor. The FTC’s parent guidance tells young people not to share explicit images or deepfakes, even as a joke; the same caution applies when seeking help.
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Record the information needed to report it
Note the platform, account name or identifier, post or page URL, when you saw it, and any threatening messages. Keep report confirmation details. You do not need to copy or distribute the intimate image to preserve useful reporting context.
Report the post and request removal
- Use the platform’s in-product report option or help center. State that the image depicts a minor and is intimate, AI-generated, or manipulated. Report threats and the account as well as the post where the platform allows it.
- Save the report confirmation or case number and note when you submitted the request.
- If the platform has no working removal-request process, or fails to act within the U.S. deadline described below, report the platform to the Federal Trade Commission at TakeItDown.ftc.gov.
The FTC explains that only the hosting platform can remove content from its own service. Its guidance on the U.S. Take It Down Act says covered platforms must provide a process for requesting removal and remove a covered intimate image and known identical copies within 48 hours after receiving a request. This rule is U.S.-specific; do not assume it applies to every service or country.
Use NCMEC’s options for a minor
- CyberTipline: Report suspected online child exploitation involving a minor through NCMEC’s CyberTipline. This is a reporting route, not a guarantee that every copy will immediately disappear.
- Take It Down: If your family has a copy of the intimate image, NCMEC’s Take It Down service is intended to help limit its spread without sharing the image itself. Check NCMEC’s site for current eligibility and instructions. It cannot guarantee removal everywhere.
These routes serve different purposes: the platform handles removal on its service, while NCMEC provides a minor-focused reporting route and a tool to help limit circulation where a copy is available.
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If someone is blackmailing or coercing your child
Do not pay, send more images, provide access to financial accounts or devices, or continue negotiating. The FTC advises stopping contact, blocking the person, and telling a trusted adult. Report the threat to local law enforcement and the FBI; if the victim is a minor, also report it through NCMEC’s CyberTipline. If there is immediate danger, contact local emergency services.
Involve the school when it can help protect your child
If school peers are involved, or the situation is affecting attendance or safety at school, contact a trusted administrator or counselor. Explain that an intimate manipulated image is being shared and ask what steps the school can take to address bullying, protect your child, and limit further sharing.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the U.S. removal rule does—and does not—mean
The FTC’s May 2026 consumer guidance says the Take It Down Act’s platform process covers intimate imagery that is real, digitally altered, or generated as an AI deepfake. For covered platforms, the stated 48-hour period begins after a removal request; it applies to the image and known identical copies. If a platform lacks a functioning process or does not comply, the FTC is the route for reporting that failure, but the FTC does not itself remove the post from the platform.
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UNICEF, ECPAT International, and INTERPOL reported in 2026 that at least 1.2 million children across 11 countries disclosed having had images manipulated into sexually explicit deepfakes in the previous year. UNICEF says the estimate draws on nationally representative household surveys of internet-using children aged 12–17 in those countries, with national prevalence estimates modeled using UN population data and estimated child internet-use rates. UNICEF noted that some country estimates equated to one in 25 children; that is not a universal prevalence figure.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThe U.S. federal process and agency routes above are not a worldwide legal guide. Laws and reporting procedures differ by jurisdiction, and exact criminal-law outcomes depend on the facts and applicable law. Outside the United States, contact local child-protection services and law enforcement for the appropriate route. UNICEF characterizes sexualized images of children generated or manipulated with AI as child sexual abuse material; that statement does not mean every AI-generated image is automatically illegal under every jurisdiction’s law.
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