They laugh, dance, and shine in front of the camera. Between family album and follower counts, the line between privacy and publicity blurs. But what happens when that very image becomes an AI fake?
Sharenting – sharing pictures of children online – can unintentionally become a source for abuse and manipulation.
The left image: Influencer and entrepreneur Sara Leutenegger and her business partner Steven Epprecht, photographed in real life.
The right image: manipulated by AI: The same people transformed into child versions, smiling sweetly at the camera.
AI can turn any face into that of a child.
Child photos can be artificially generated without a real child ever having existed.
Abusers can use such techniques to create fake images or “enhance” real photos.
Children cannot defend themselves. Their images remain online forever.
Harmless photos are turned into fake images that end up in criminal contexts.
A single click on “share” can unintentionally have risky consequences.
Children have the right to decide for themselves if and how they are visible online.
A large proportion of child images found on abuse websites originally come from social media.
(Source: Internet Watch Foundation, 2023)
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Only about half of parents ask their children for permission before posting.
(Source: University of Fribourg 2023)
One in ten parents regularly posts pictures of their children online.
(Source: University of Fribourg 2023)
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AI tools can create deceptively realistic deepfakes from a single child photo.
(Source: Sensity AI, 2023, “State of Deepfakes”)
Never post children’s photos on open profiles.
Would my child still want to see this picture in 10 years?
Remove location and info before sharing.
Let them have a say from a certain age onwards.
A child’s photo can be a memory
or a danger.
Welcome to WHAT THE FAKE — discover more pairs of pictures, facts and tips
