Parents in the UK have been urged to stop sharing photos of their children publicly
Parents should avoid posting photos of their children on public social media accounts as advances in artificial intelligence (AI) make it easier for criminals to create child sexual abuse material (CSAM), the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) have warned.In issuing new guidance to parents and carers, the two organizations said that although artificial intelligence has many positive applications, it is increasingly being exploited to manipulate ordinary images of children into sexually explicit content without their knowledge or consent.The advice doesn’t tell parents to stop sharing family photos entirely, but it recommends limiting who can see them by making social media accounts private or using “close friends” groups to share photos only with trusted people.
AI-generated abuse material is on the rise
According to the International Weightlifting Federation, more than 8,000 AI-generated images and videos depicting child sexual abuse were identified in 2025, representing a 14% increase compared to the previous year.The watchdog also reported a significant rise in AI-generated abuse videos, with the number increasing from just 13 cases in 2024 to 3,440 in 2025. These images are classified as child sexual abuse material under UK law.Authorities said criminals no longer need to contact or groom children directly, as freely available artificial intelligence tools can manipulate publicly available images and turn them into explicit content.
“The average parent or carer would not post an image of a child online thinking it might be deleted to turn it into a CSAM,” said Lorna Sinclair, director of child sexual abuse education at the NCA, noting that many families remain unaware of the risks.
Three key steps for parents
The guidance sets out three simple actions parents and guardians can take to better protect children online:
- Review your privacy settings: Make social media accounts private or restrict photo visibility to trusted contacts with features like Close Friends.
- Check existing jobs: Check if old photos reveal recognizable details such as the child’s face, school uniform, or regular locations, and consider deleting these photos or restricting access to them.
- Reconsider image approval: Review permissions previously granted to schools, nurseries, sports clubs or other organizations to publish images of children, and withdraw consent if necessary.
The agencies also encouraged parents to include children in conversations about when and where their photos are shared, helping them feel comfortable saying no if they don’t want the photo posted online.
Increasing cases of AI-assisted exploitation
The International Weightlifting Federation said it had dealt with cases involving teenagers whose fully clothed selfies were turned into explicit images using artificial intelligence before being used for blackmail. Child Protective Services has also reported incidents in which fake nude photos were created using photos taken from social media profiles.Separately, school websites in the UK have reportedly been targeted by criminals who copied student images, used AI tools to create offensive content and then attempted to blackmail schools by threatening to publish the manipulated images.In response, an online safety advisory group comprising the NCA, IWF and other organizations recommended that schools avoid displaying recognizable images of pupils on publicly accessible websites and social media platforms.
“Prevention remains vital”
Tim Wright, senior director at the National Crime Agency, said that while law enforcement agencies continue to pursue offenders, prevention remains equally important.The NCA and IWF stressed that the guidance aims to raise awareness rather than alert parents, emphasizing that some precautionary steps can significantly reduce the chances of children’s images being misused as access to AI technology increases.