PARENTS WARNED AGAINST POSTING CHILDREN'S PHOTOS ONLINE AMID AI ABUSE FEARS

The National Crime Agency and the Internet Watch Foundation have issued guidance recommending that parents restrict access to photographs of their children on social media platforms. The NCA advised parents to make their accounts private or share images only with a designated "close friends" group. The organisations stated they were not prescribing how parents should behave online, but emphasised awareness of the risks and available protective measures.

The guidance recommends three actions: reviewing privacy settings on social media accounts; assessing who can view images of children; and discussing image consent agreements with schools and other organisations. Parents are also encouraged to audit their existing social media posts for older photographs that could be misused. Tim Wright, a senior manager at the NCA, stated that "a few simple steps" could reduce risk. Lorna Sinclair, a child sexual abuse education manager at the NCA, noted that most parents are unaware that publicly available technology now allows criminals to create child sexual abuse material without direct contact with victims.

According to the IWF, recorded instances of AI-generated child sexual abuse material found online rose by 14 per cent in the past year, with the organisation identifying 8,029 AI-made images and videos of realistic child sexual abuse content in 2025. The IWF reported that it has been contacted by under-18s who were blackmailed by extortionists after their images were manipulated using AI software. The guidance represents an attempt to reduce the supply of source photographs available to those creating such material.