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Parents warned not to publicly share children’s images amid AI abuse risks

Liv McMahon

Technology reporter

53 minutes ago

Parents should not publicly post images of their children online due to the growth of AI-generated abuse imagery, the National Crime Agency (NCA) has warned.

Along with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), it said there is a growing threat of children’s images online being used to create child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

More than 8,000 AI-generated images and videos of realistic child sexual abuse were identified by the IWF in 2025, it said – adding this was a 14% increase on the year before.

“While we and policing colleagues tackle offenders, prevention remains vital,” said Tim Wright, a senior manager at the NCA.

In partnership with the IWF, the organisation has released fresh guidance for parents outlining steps they can take to help keep their children safe online.

It says parents should review their privacy settings or make a “close friends” group for parents keen to share images

“AI is becoming a part of everyday life,” the guidance states.

“Whilst it has many benefits, it can also be misused – including by those who use it to make, manipulate and share nude, semi-nude or sexual images and videos of children.”

The IWF said its analysts had identified 13 AI-generated videos of child sexual abuse in 2024 – but in 2025 this number had increased to 3,440.

This imagery is considered CSAM in the UK.

The government has sought to tackle AI abuse threats to children, in particular young girls, by banning so-called “nudification” apps and tweaking laws to help AI firms make sure their systems cannot be used to produce CSAM.

Steps for parents

The NCA and IWF said the guidance, external aims to support parents in understanding the particular threats about CSAM and the increasing role AI is playing in it.

“Hearing about this as a parent or carer can feel alarming, but you are not alone,” it says, external.

“It’s important to know there are steps you can take, many of which you may already be doing, to help better protect your child.”

The guidance points to three main things parents and guardians do:

Review privacy settings – use privacy controls located in most social apps under Settings to limit visibility of posts, or make an account private

Check social media accounts – look over content already shared by parents or family to make sure identifying details that could expose a child, such as their face or school uniform, cannot be seen, or if an image should be deleted

Revisit image consent – check in with friends, family and even places attended by your child, like schools or clubs, about images being taken of them or used, or review signed consent forms.

It adds that may be helpful for parents to include children in discussions about how and where their image is taken or shared – especially in helping them feel more comfortable in saying no.

How can you keep children safe online?

Sharenting concerns

The advice follows years of warnings from child safety experts and organisations about the risks of so-called “sharenting”.

The term, added to the Collins English Dictionary in 2016, is used to describe the act of parents sharing images or videos of their child on social media.

Experts have said that doing so can expose children to unforeseen risks such as identity theft, fraud or impede their privacy as they grow up.

But the increased availability and capability of AI tools which can be used to manipulate imagery – including to make it look like a person’s clothing has been removed – has now become an added concern.

“We don’t want to say don’t share your children’s images with the people you love and trust, but we want everyone to be aware of the potential risks and make an informed decision with the full facts at their disposal,” said IWF boss Kerry Smith.

“These are not hypothetical threats, they are real.”