A deepfake is a video, photo, or audio recording that has been manipulated using artificial intelligence (AI) to appear real, but has been altered to replace a person’s face or body with someone else’s. While deepfakes are a problem worldwide in creating and spreading misinformation, today’s blog will discuss them in the context of an epidemic facing teen girls in the United States: deepfake nudes.

At schools across the country, middle school and high school boys have been using widely-available “nudification” apps to create deepfake images of their female classmates without their consent. They then circulate the fake photo amongst their peers and/or online. The apps alter real photos of clothed individuals into convincing-looking nude images with exposed genitalia generated by AI. These apps have allowed boys to take a classmate’s photo from her personal social media post – such as a posed photo at prom – and make it look like the girl posed for a nude photo. The apps are so easy to use, boys can easily create hundreds of deepfake photos in just a day. Recent victims have been as young as 12 years old.

While some parents, especially parents of boys, have called these instances a case of “youthful transgression,” the reality is that it can truly destroy a young woman’s life. When intimate images of a woman go public – whether they are fake or real – it has the following impacts:

• damages her reputation,
• makes it harder for her to find a job,
• increases her risk of sexual assault,
• ruins many opportunities for meaningful and respectful dating,
• exposes her to bullying and verbal ridicule, and
• increases her likelihood of depression and suicide.

If you are a parent, teacher, or other adult who interacts with teenagers, it’s important that we use education and conversations to combat this problem. Here are some ideas:

• Young people need to be told the impacts of these types of images. They should understand that deepfakes are a form of abuse against women as well as child sexual exploitation. Teen boys should not be able to use the excuse that they were just experimenting or having some fun or didn’t understand the implications. Teen girls should be encouraged to support other girls who are victimized in this way. Every teen should receive the message that creating deepfakes and/or spreading nude photos will not be tolerated.
• Teach teens to be critical thinkers by encouraging them to question what they see before they accept it as true.
• Encourage teens to make their social media accounts private and to be careful about who they allow to follow them.
• Parents should set boundaries of what sites and social media platforms are acceptable for their children and monitor their actions. Teens should know that nudification apps are unacceptable.
• Both schools and parents should clearly lay out the punishments for teens who create and/or spread these images.
• Adults should encourage all children to avoid clicking on, liking, commenting or sharing nude deepfakes because that only increases their spread, sending a signal to social networks that people like and want to see more similar content. Let your child know that deepfakes are not a “victimless crime” and that you expect them to never create, engage with, or share deepfakes.
• Consider writing your Senator and/or Representative to ask that they pass legislation to address these crimes.