The UK National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) have issued landmark guidance urging parents not to post photos of their children on public social media accounts, citing the growing threat of AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Key Recommendations for Parents
The guidance advises parents to make social media accounts private or share images through a 'close friends' group. It also recommends auditing old posts that could be used by predators and revisiting photo consent agreements with schools or sports clubs signed before AI manipulation became widespread.
Tim Wright, a senior manager at the NCA, said: 'We encourage parents and carers to take a few simple steps today.' The NCA stressed it is not telling parents how to behave online but wants them to be aware of the problem.
Rise in AI-Generated CSAM
The IWF reported a 14% increase in AI-generated CSAM last year, identifying 8,029 AI-made images and videos of realistic CSAM in 2025. Criminals now use publicly available AI tools to create abuse material without directly contacting victims.
Lorna Sinclair, a child sexual abuse education manager at the NCA, said: 'The average parent or carer does not post a picture of a child online thinking that it might be scraped to be turned into CSAM.'
Real-World Cases
The IWF has been contacted by under-18s blackmailed after their images were nudified by AI. The Report Remove service, which helps remove explicit images of under-18s taken without consent, has seen examples of fully-clothed selfies converted into extreme pornography via AI.
In one case, a 15-year-old girl told Childline that a stranger created a 'really convincing' fake nude using her face and bedroom from her Instagram account. UK schools have also been targeted by blackmailers who scraped pupil photos, used AI to create CSAM, and threatened to publish them.
Expert Caution
Dan Sexton, the IWF's chief technology officer, said he was 'very uncomfortable' advising parents not to post children's images but felt there was no other option. 'I don’t know what else to say to parents. I would be very cautious because there is no protection.'
The NSPCC also recommends that under-18s keep social media accounts on private settings.
Practical Steps
The guidance includes a social media audit: check whether a child's face, body, or school uniform is visible, whether the image is still appropriate, and if it can be deleted or made private. It also suggests reviewing consent forms signed at school or clubs and considering withdrawing consent.
Tom Dyson, the IWF's head of marketing, said: 'If you want a photograph of your children to be taken off a website or social media you are perfectly able to do that.'
