Protecting young people from deepfakes

13% of children and young people have had an experience with a nude deepfake but only 6% have been taught about them in school. What’s more, 45% of parents don’t understand the term ‘deepfake’. In this blog, Brook’s Senior Communications and Policy Coordinator, Eliza Bell explains what deepfakes are and why we need to know about them.

What are deepfakes? 

Deepfakes are fake audio, images and videos that have been generated or manipulated using AI, but they look and sound like genuine content. 

New generative AI tools allow users to create wholly new content that can be life-like, and that might be used to misrepresent someone or something. 

Why should we be concerned about the rise of deepfakes?

While deepfake technology can be used for positive purposes, such as education or training, evidence suggests that the majority of deepfakes are created to harm, including through  sexual abuse, financially motivated sexual exploitation, mis- and disinformation, scams or fraud including sextortion. 

Research from Internet Matters found that 13% of children have had an experience with a nude deepfake (including sending or receiving one, encountering a nude deepfake online, using a nudifying app or someone they know having used a nudifying app).

99% of all nude deepfakes created are of women and girls. 

How can we protect young people from deepfakes?

Ultimately, responsibility lies with tech companies and governments that make the law and appoint regulators to implement it to keep their users safe. Some campaigners call for banning nudifying apps and even reducing young people’s young people’s access to social media (as is happening in Australia).

In the meantime, platforms could at least take immediate action to respond to complaints and rapidly take down harmful exploitative content without putting complainants through onerous and lengthy processes. 

At an individual level there are a few actions young people can take to keep themselves safe. This includes keeping any social media accounts private and being aware of the amount of personal information they share online. They should immediately block and report anyone sending deepfake images or videos. More hints and tips are available from We Live Security. 

Families agree that more education is needed on the topic of deepfakes. Only 11% of teenagers have been taught about deepfakes in school, and just 6% about nude deepfakes. The overwhelming majority of teenagers (92%) and parents (88%) feel that children should be taught about the risks of deepfakes in school. 

Indeed, education is a vital tool in keeping young people safe online. Good education is protective against rapid and ongoing developments in this field because it supports the development of positive values, critical thinking skills, good bystander behaviour and a deeper understanding of consent and the harm caused by violating people’s consent and privacy.     

Critical thinking skills are one of the most valuable tools in we can teach our young people. We recently shared a blog on how to build critical thinking and digital literacy in the classroom, these tips could also easily be adapted to a home environment. 

It’s also important to create a safe space at home where young people can ask questions or raise concerns.

Developing an open and honest environment where curiosity is encouraged and awkward subjects aren’t avoided means young people know they can come to you if they’ve seen something they don’t understand or don’t like, or if they need help. 

Thousands of parents and other adults become victims of financial scams each year, so we should not be surprised if professional scammers are able to manipulate young people. It is vital that children know they can get help without judgment, whether someone is using a real or deepfake image to bully, exploit or to extort money from them. 

What support is available with deepfakes?

• Internet matters guidance for parents and carers about deepfakes 
• Childine Report Remove tool helps young people under 18 in the UK to confidentially report sexual images and videos of themselves and remove them from the internet. 
• The Mix provides free, confidential help and support for under 25s.
• Online safety education sessions by Brook

A safer future

It is a source of huge frustration that benign and vital sexual health information is routinely and rapidly removed on some platforms while deepfake content that can cause significant harm can be so simply generated and disseminated. 

Online tools and tech platforms should be safe by design.

The onus should not be on users to report harmful material. While we wait for technical fixes from tech firms, we must support our young people to stay safe online through practical education and open communication.