The use of AI to create child abuse material is surging, prompting a warning to parents about the dangers of its use.
The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation, led by the Australian Federal Police, has witnessed an increase in illegal AI-generated material in the past year.
Part of that increase has been a higher incidence of students creating images such as deepfakes for numerous reasons, including to harass or embarrass classmates.
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Last year, one Australian man was jailed for possession of AI-generated child abuse material, and another was jailed for using AI to produce child abuse images.
AFP Commander Helen Schneider urged parents to have open and non-judgemental conversations with their children, and said many young people might not be aware that using AI to create material featuring their classmates could be criminal.
"Children and young people are curious by nature, however, anything that depicts the abuse of someone under the age of 18 – whether that's videos, images, drawings or stories – is child abuse material, irrespective of whether it is 'real' or not," Schneider said.
"The AFP encourages all parents and guardians to have open and honest conversations with their child on this topic, particularly as AI technology continues to become increasingly accessible and integrated into platforms and products."
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She said an AFP-led education program, ThinkUKnow, offered free resources in this area for parents and carers.
Research conducted by the ACCCE in 2020 revealed only about half of parents talked to their children about online safety.
"These conversations can include how they interact with technology, what to do if they are exposed to child abuse material, bolstering privacy settings on online accounts, and declining unknown friend or follower requests," Schneider said.
In the 2023-24 financial year, ThinkUKnow delivered 2218 presentations about online child sexual exploitation to 202,905 students across Australia.
The program, run by the AFP, state and territory police and industry volunteers, also delivered 317 presentations to more than 21,500 parents, carers and teachers during the same period.
People seeking support, resources or ways to report child abuse material should visit the ACCCE website.
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).
