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In a troubling trend, children across the UK are increasingly reporting explicit deepfake images featuring themselves, underscoring the urgent need for enhanced online safety measures. The Report Remove service, which helps to block intimate images from circulating online, has recorded a staggering 420 reports from minors in just the first half of 2026. This sharp increase highlights the growing dangers posed by AI technology, as watchdogs warn that these manipulations are becoming alarmingly easy to produce.
A Disturbing Trend in Digital Manipulation
The Report Remove service, operated by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) in collaboration with the NSPCC, has revealed that the number of reports from children regarding explicit images created using AI has already surpassed the total for the entire year of 2025, which stood at 397. This rapid escalation is raising serious concerns among child safety advocates and tech experts alike.
Dan Sexton, the IWF’s chief technology officer, emphasised the severity of the situation, stating, “If someone can take a benign image of a child from the internet and create child sexual abuse material with it, there is nothing that child can do to stop it from happening apart from preventing anyone from taking pictures of them – or not putting pictures of themselves online.”
The rise in manipulated images is so pronounced that Report Remove has recently added a checkbox on its submission form specifically for users to flag such images as deepfakes. This development reflects the growing recognition of the problem and the need for tailored responses.
The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Child Exploitation
AI technology is rapidly advancing, and with it, the capabilities to create and disseminate harmful content. Sexton highlighted a fear shared by many experts: the potential for AI image generators to be misused in creating child sexual abuse material featuring real individuals. He stated, “This is one of the harms we were worried about when we first saw AI image generators being used.”
The IWF has noted that many of the reports of manipulated images received in 2025 and 2026 were severe enough to meet the threshold for child sexual abuse material (CSAM). In the UK, creating or distributing AI-generated CSAM is illegal, and the government is actively working to combat this disturbing trend.
Rani Govender, an online safety expert with the NSPCC, urged tech companies to implement more robust safety measures in their AI products. “This rise in children reaching out because fake or AI-generated sexual images have been created of them is alarming but also sadly predictable,” she said. “Tech companies cannot keep pushing out AI products without embedding strong protections that prevent this material from being created in the first place.”
The Threat of Sextortion
The implications of these deepfake incidents extend beyond mere image manipulation. Some victims who have reported such images to Report Remove have been targeted for sextortion, where blackmailers threaten to release the material unless they receive payment or more explicit images. This vicious cycle of exploitation highlights the urgent need for vigilance and action in protecting young people online.
Report Remove provides a crucial service by allowing children to anonymously flag intimate images or videos that may have been sent to ex-partners or used in sextortion schemes. The service converts these images into a unique digital fingerprint, or “hash,” which is shared with major tech platforms to facilitate the prompt removal of such content.
Recommendations for Parents and Guardians
In light of the rising threat posed by AI-generated deepfakes, authorities including the National Crime Agency and IWF are advising parents and guardians to take proactive steps in safeguarding their children’s online presence. They recommend keeping pictures of children private or limiting their visibility to close friends and family. Schools are also being urged to refrain from posting identifiable images of students online, as cybercriminals have been known to scrape these images for malicious purposes.
Why it Matters
The alarming rise in reports of deepfake images among children highlights a crucial intersection of technology and child safety. With AI making it easier than ever to manipulate images, the potential for exploitation looms larger. As tech companies continue to innovate, it is imperative that they prioritise the safety of the most vulnerable users. The responsibility lies not only with corporations but also with parents, educators, and policymakers to create a safer online environment for children. The time for action is now—before the issue escalates beyond control.
