Police and child protection agency say parents need to know about sexually explicit AI deepfakes

As reports of incidents involving sexually explicit AI-generated images and videos are rising in schools across Canada, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (C3P) and the OPP-led Provincial Strategy to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation on the Internet (Provincial ICE [Internet Child Exploitation] Strategy) are arming parents and teachers with critical information.

“Deepfakes” are videos, images, or audio recordings that look or sound completely realistic but have been altered using AI. Cybertip.ca, Canada’s tipline for reporting the online sexual exploitation and abuse of children, has processed close to 4,000 sexually explicit deepfake images and videos of children and youth in the past year. In addition to school-related incidents, C3P and police are also witnessing instances where AI-generated images are used to sextort youth, where boys are overwhelmingly extorted for money and girls are more often extorted for more sexual images or videos.

C3P has developed a new free resource for parents to help guide conversations with their youth about this escalating risk online. C3P is also releasing brand new lesson plans for grades 9-12 in June. As we navigate this new frontier in the digital space, parents and teachers remain the frontline defence to keeping kids safe online.

“This is a serious and growing risk to youth that is only going to escalate while kids are at home with extra free time over the summer,” said Noni Classen, C3P’s Director of Education. “It’s incredibly important for parents to talk to their children, their nieces and nephews, their friends, and for teachers to be using these lessons. The images may be faked, but the damage caused to victims is very real.”

“We are seeing an increase of reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse material, which include synthetic images and videos, and we want to remind the public that creating, distributing and/or possessing AI-generated images of CSAM is considered an offence in Canada,” said Detective Staff Sergeant Tim Brown of the Provincial Strategy to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation on the Internet – Provincial ICE (Internet Child Exploitation) Strategy. “We need everyone's support to combat this community issue. If you see something, report it. Together, we can create a safer environment for all children, ensuring their well-being and protection.”

The new free online safety lessons for grades nine to 12 classrooms includes information on sexually explicit deepfakes. These are part of C3P’s Kids in the Know program, taught in schools across the country. Additionally, updated grades three to eight lesson plans are also available, with conversations about deepfakes starting in the grade seven lessons. An updated free online safety resource for parents, Parenting in the Online World, has also been released.