Letter regarding the misuse of AI

The Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland (SBNI), Education Authority (EA) and Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) are issuing the below joint letter to parents and carers via schools, colleges, youth clubs and other organisations working with children and young people. The letter highlights growing concerns about the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) to create or manipulate harmful and sexualised images of young people.

There is growing concern about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and other digital tools to create

or manipulate images of children and young people in sexualised or harmful ways. You may have

heard of terms like ‘AI CSAM’ ‘deepfakes’ or ‘nudify’ apps and websites in the news recently.

These tools are now widely available and often free to access via devices such as tablets, laptops

and smartphones. This involve altering existing photos or creating entirely new AI generated

sexual abuse content. These images can look very real even when they are fake, and this can be

extremely distressing for those involved.

Some young people may misuse AI to create nude or sexualised images of others, sometimes

thinking it is a joke, trying to embarrass someone, or not realising the harm it can cause. Taking,

possessing or sharing nude or sexualised images of anyone under 18, including images created

using AI, is illegal and is classed as child sexual abuse material. Please remind your child not to

create or share any images that could harm someone or break the law, to think carefully before

posting online, and to speak to you if anything worries them.

If your child has been affected by harmful or manipulated images, or has been involved in creating

or sharing them, please speak to your school, college or youth club safeguarding lead, or contact

the police for advice. If an offence has been committed, the police will respond sensitively and

consider all circumstances. The law is there to protect all young people from harm.

Steps you should take:

Talk to your young person

Avoid assuming they know the risks. Have an open conversation and remind your young person to

pause and think carefully before posting, sharing or accepting images online. Discuss the use of

AI, respecting others and what the law is.

Support and reassurance

Encourage your young person to speak to you or another adult they trust immediately if they see

anything online that worries them.

Seek help if needed

If your young person has been affected by harmful or manipulated images or has been involved in

creating, sharing or being in possession of an image, remain calm and seek support:

Contact your school, college or club safeguarding lead or the Police for advice

Non-Emergencies: Call 101 or report online via https://www.psni.police.uk/report

Emergencies: If a child is in immediate danger, always dial 999

Further support and advice is available:

Further advice is available on the Online Safety Hub, which includes a guide on AI and Emerging

Technologies explaining the key safeguarding concerns to be aware of and how to respond.

Additional information is available from the NSPCC and Safer Schools NI.

A young person can also use the Report Remove service provided by Childline to help young

people under 18 in the UK to confidentially report sexual images and videos of themselves and

remove them from the internet.