An online safety charity has called for the banning of apps that create deepfake nudes, particularly those involving children. Internet Matters has urged the UK Government to take action following a study that revealed thousands of teenagers have encountered AI-generated deepfake nude images.
The charity emphasized the need to amend the Online Safety Act to prohibit the use of tools that can produce such harmful content. According to Internet Matters, approximately half a million children have been exposed to deepfake nudes online, leading to a growing concern among young people.
Research conducted by Internet Matters indicated that 55% of teenagers believe having a deepfake nude image of themselves shared without consent would be more distressing than a real image. The charity highlighted the inadequacy of current legislation in addressing the issue, stating that AI models creating sexual images of children are not illegal in the UK.
Furthermore, Internet Matters revealed that the majority of deepfake nudes, estimated at 99%, feature women and girls. These malicious contents have been linked to facilitating child-on-child sexual abuse, adult-perpetrated abuse, and sextortion. Internet Matters co-chief executive Carolyn Bunting expressed the profound impact of deepfake image abuse on victims, stressing that it is a violation of dignity and bodily autonomy.
In response to the concerning findings, the charity conducted a study involving 2,000 parents of children aged three to 17, and 1,000 children aged nine to 17 in the UK. The research unveiled that teenage boys are more likely to report encounters with nude deepfakes. Nevertheless, boys are often the creators of such content, whereas girls are the primary targets.
Both children and parents expressed support for increased education on deepfakes, with 92% of teenagers and 88% of parents advocating for awareness programs in schools. Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls Jess Phillips commended the work of Internet Matters in combatting the misuse of emerging technologies. The Government aims to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to address deepfake abuse, particularly its impact on women and girls.
Internet Matters and other advocacy groups are calling for swift action from the Government and tech companies to prevent the proliferation of tools that enable the creation of non-consensual deepfake content. The collective effort seeks to safeguard children and mitigate the harmful effects of AI-generated deepfake nudes circulating online.