The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has warned parents not to share photos of their children online, saying that these images could be exploited by criminals using artificial intelligence (AI) to create child sexual abuse material.
The warning is part of new guidance developed by the agency in collaboration with the UK’s internet monitoring body. The awareness campaign aims to help parents and caregivers protect children from the growing threat of AI-generated fake sexual content.
The initiative follows an incident in which a British school was targeted by criminal groups. The offenders used publicly available photos of students to generate AI-created fake sexual images and then attempted to blackmail victims by demanding money.
The warning reflects growing global concerns over the risks that artificial intelligence poses to children’s safety in the digital world. As harmful content, sexual exploitation, and online blackmail continue to increase, many governments are tightening restrictions on children’s access to social media platforms and introducing stronger safeguards to create a safer online environment for minors.
Recently, the UK government announced plans to block children under the age of 16 from accessing several online platforms to protect them from harmful content and reduce excessive screen time. Similarly, Canada, Brazil, and Indonesia have either passed laws or announced measures imposing minimum age requirements for children’s access to social media. Australia’s Prime Minister has also stated that his government intends to strengthen laws restricting social media use for children under 16.
Meanwhile, the rapid spread of harmful AI-generated content online has prompted the United Nations to call for stronger measures to protect children from exploitation and digital blackmail. UN agencies warn that children are increasingly exposed to risks such as sexual grooming, deepfake technologies, and cyberbullying. AI is also providing criminals with more sophisticated tools to analyze children’s behavior and manipulate or lure them into exploitation.
Statistics show that the trend is becoming increasingly alarming. According to a 2025 report by the Childlight Global Institute, technology-facilitated child abuse cases in the United States rose dramatically from 4,700 in 2023 to more than 67,000 in 2024.
A study by The University of Edinburgh found that in 2023, around 12.6% of children worldwide—approximately 302 million children—were exposed to unwanted sexual conversations or content, while a similar number experienced online sexual solicitation.
Experts also warn that sharing children’s photos online can unintentionally reveal sensitive personal information, which criminals may exploit for identity theft, grooming, or other forms of abuse.