Fake nude images

1. Tell your child it isn't their fault, and get support

   Both of you together · ages 5–17 · checked 30 Sep 2026

   NCMEC says children in these situations often feel there is no way out. A fake image is something done to them. NCMEC's advice to kids: the blackmailer is to blame, not you. If your child talks about self-harm, call or text 988 (24/7) or text HOME to 741741. If anyone is in immediate danger, call 911. Also use the Something happened page on this site.

   1. Say clearly: this isn't your fault, and you'll handle it together.
   2. Call or text 988, or text HOME to 741741, if they might hurt themselves. Call 911 if anyone is in immediate danger.
   3. NCMEC offers support at gethelp@ncmec.org or 1-800-THE-LOST, including crisis intervention and local counseling referrals, and Team HOPE.
   NCMEC: Sextortion

2. Don't copy the image, and don't delete what's already there

   Both of you together · ages 5–17 · checked 30 Sep 2026

   Well-meaning parents can spread the image, create a copy of illegal material, or destroy evidence. Google says do not take or share screenshots containing child sexual abuse imagery or any content that presents someone under 18 in a sexual way. NCMEC says do not send, share, or download any image or video in order to submit, and don't have a friend or family member send it to you. If the image is already on your child's phone, leave it where it is. Don't delete, copy, move, or forward it. Tell the police it's there. The FBI tells victims to retain information about the incident, including usernames, sites, photos, and videos, and federal law prohibits possession of any CSAM, so don't make new copies. NCMEC: block the suspect but do not delete your profile or messages. Don't pay. NCMEC says cooperating or paying rarely stops the blackmail. The FBI says complying does not guarantee the content will not be shared.

   1. Don't screenshot, forward, download, or save the image, even as evidence.
   2. Do record where it is: copy the page link from the address bar, plus usernames, dates, and platform names. Don't open, enlarge, or view the image to get its link.
   3. Don't delete the account, the messages, or an image that is already on the phone. Don't wipe or reset the phone.
   4. Don't pay, and don't confront the person who made it in a way that could push them to delete evidence or spread it. That last point is our advice, not an official quote.
   NCMEC: Is your explicit content out there?

3. Report to NCMEC's CyberTipline

   In a browser · ages 5–17 · checked 30 Sep 2026

   It's the US reporting system for child sexual exploitation, and the FBI says to report AI-generated CSAM there. NCMEC says analysts can help get the content down by notifying companies and continuing to send notices while monitoring for removal, and can connect your family with support. This is the best route when you don't have the image yourself, because it works from links. Your child can also self-report.

   1. Go to report.cybertip.org, or call 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
   2. Paste the links you recorded. You decide whether to share contact information.
   CyberTipline

4. Use Take It Down only if the file is already on the device

   In a browser · ages 5–17 · checked 30 Sep 2026

   NCMEC says: if a sexually explicit image of you or someone you know, whether real or GAI-created, is circulating online, Take It Down can help. Anyone can use it for nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit images of themselves taken when they were under 18, including adults using it for images from when they were minors. It works anywhere in the world. No name or address is needed. Take It Down makes a hash, a unique digital fingerprint, on the device. The image or video remains on the device and is not uploaded. Participating platforms use the hash to scan their public or unencrypted sites and apps. A hash can't be turned back into the image. It will not work on encrypted platforms. Platforms may have limited capabilities to remove content already posted, it won't stop uploads on other sites, and because it's anonymous there is no way to notify you of matches. StopNCII is for people 18 or older at the time the image was taken and currently over 18, and it counts deepfake or synthetic images. StopNCII says if the image is of someone under 18, even if it is of yourself and you are now over 18, submit to Take It Down.

   1. Only use Take It Down for an image already on the device. If you don't have it, use the CyberTipline. Never download a copy to submit.
   2. After submitting, don't post the image anywhere. NCMEC says it may be flagged and could put a block on your social media account.
   3. Participants listed on Sep 30, 2026: AZNude, Bumble, character.ai, Clips 4 Sale, EdgeFox Interactive, Ero Me, Facebook, Fal.ai, Fansly, FetLife, Instagram, LeakAngel, OnlyFans, Patreon, Pornhub, PhotoCircle, RedGIFS, Safer by Thorn, SafetyKit, Snap Inc., Threads, Tik.Porn, TikTok, YouTube, Yubo. Not listed: Discord, X, Reddit, Telegram, WhatsApp, Roblox. Report those directly.
   Take It Down

5. Report it on every platform where it appears

   In a browser · ages 5–17 · checked 30 Sep 2026

   Covered platforms (social media, messaging, image or video sharing, gaming, and similar sites) must remove a reported intimate image, including an AI fake, and known identical copies within 48 hours of a valid request. The law excludes email, internet providers, and sites made mostly of the provider's own preselected content. The FTC names messaging platforms as covered and says content can appear in posts, messages, comments, and livestreams. Congress's research service notes that for the criminal offense, a court could conclude that a person does not publish an intimate depiction by sending it to one other person through an email or direct message. Report DMs anyway. A valid request must include, in writing, a physical or electronic signature, enough information to find the image, a short good-faith statement that it's non-consensual, and contact information. The law lets an authorized person acting on behalf of the depicted person file. We read that as including a parent for a minor, but the law doesn't say parent.

   1. Use the Report button on the post, message, or profile. The FTC suggests tapping the three dots in the upper right of the post. Choose nudity or sexual content involving a minor, or sharing private images.
   2. NCMEC keeps step-by-step reporting instructions for Discord, Facebook, Google, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Tumblr, Kik, Microsoft, Reddit, X (Twitter), YouTube, and Imgur (under Other Sites).
   3. Google Search has a removal request for fake sexual content that falsely depicts you, and a separate route for content showing under-18s.
   4. Keep the confirmation or request number. The FTC suggests platforms assign one, so ask if you don't get it.
   NCMEC platform reporting steps

6. If a platform doesn't act in 48 hours, tell the FTC

   In a browser · ages 5–17 · checked 30 Sep 2026

   The FTC enforces the platform duty and can seek civil penalties of $53,088 per violation. The FTC says you can report if you or your child appear in the intimate image, or for someone else if they've given you permission. You can also report a platform whose removal process you can't find or that is broken. Only platforms can actually remove the image.

   1. Go to TakeItDown.ftc.gov. Name the platform and say where the image was posted.
   FTC: report a platform (Sep 23, 2026)

7. Report the crime to police and the FBI

   Both of you together · ages 5–17 · checked 30 Sep 2026

   A realistic sexual fake of a minor can be child sexual abuse material. The FBI says CSAM created with content manipulation technologies, including generative AI, is illegal, including realistic computer-generated images. NCMEC's Take It Down FAQ says such an image could be considered child sexual abuse material or child pornography in some jurisdictions. Since May 19, 2025, the TAKE IT DOWN Act makes it a crime to knowingly publish a digital forgery of a minor with intent to abuse, humiliate, harass, or degrade them, or for sexual gratification. Publishing a real image or a digital forgery of a minor: up to 3 years. Threats: up to 30 months for a digital forgery of a minor, and up to 3 years for a real image of a minor. A digital forgery is an intimate image created through software, machine learning, or artificial intelligence that is indistinguishable from an authentic visual depiction. State laws differ and aren't summarized here.

   1. Contact local police. The FTC also says to report the person at tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI.
   2. The FBI also lists ic3.gov for AI-generated CSAM, alongside the CyberTipline.
   3. Bring your notes (links, usernames, dates, platform report numbers), not copies of the image.
   FBI/IC3: AI-generated CSAM is illegal

8. Ask the school, in writing, if classmates are involved

   Both of you together · ages 5–17 · checked 30 Sep 2026

   The FBI notes incidents of teenagers using AI to create CSAM by altering ordinary clothed pictures of classmates. A Federal Register notice says the Department of Education repealed the 2024 Title IX rule and restored the 2020 regulations, effective Sep 29, 2026. Those regulations define supportive measures as non-disciplinary, non-punitive individualized services, which may include counseling, extensions of deadlines, modifications of work or class schedules, and mutual restrictions on contact between the parties. A Department resource titled Online or Digital Sexual Harassment under the 2020 Title IX Regulations could not be downloaded (ed.gov returned 403), so it isn't quoted. Whether a particular incident falls under your school's Title IX process isn't something this page can answer.

   1. Ask for the Title IX coordinator and the sexual harassment and bullying policy in writing.
   2. Report what happened without sending the image. Give names, links, and dates.
   3. Ask what supportive measures they'll offer, and whether they've reported to police or NCMEC. Keep a written record.
   Federal Register: Title IX recodification (effective Sep 29, 2026)

9. If your child made or shared a fake, stop and get legal advice

   Both of you together · ages 5–17 · checked 30 Sep 2026

   Creating or sharing a sexual image of a minor, even a fake, can be a serious crime. The FTC says if someone shares an intimate image of a minor, or an image of you without your consent, that's a crime. Deleting evidence after you know about a crime can create its own legal problems. This page doesn't give legal advice. The legal consequences of a parent deleting an image their child made are a question for a lawyer. Official guidance consistently says don't delete.

   1. Stop the spread: make sure your child doesn't share or post it further.
   2. Don't delete, wipe, or reset the phone or accounts, and don't send the image to anyone, including to prove what happened.
   3. Get legal advice before you do anything else.
   FBI/IC3: manipulated photos and sextortion

10. Reduce exposure, without blaming what your child posted

    On your phone · ages 5–17 · checked 30 Sep 2026

    Nothing your child posted caused this. The person who made the fake is responsible. These steps only reduce exposure. NCMEC counted more than 275 direct victims of GAI CSAM identified in 2024 and 2025, and the offenders in many cases were people in the child's life. NCMEC counted more than 400,000 AI-related CyberTipline reports in 2025, up from 4,700 in 2023. The FBI recommends setting profiles and friends lists as private, and using discretion when posting images, particularly those that include children. On iPhone you can block Image Creation and Realistic Images. Apple says the recommended age for realistic images is 18 or older, and Image Playground needs age 13 or older. Communication Safety blurs nudity in shared images and is on by default for children under 18 on iOS 27.

    1. Make profiles private and limit public photos. Search now and then, including a reverse image search, as the FBI suggests.
    2. Use app approvals and web filtering (Ask to Browse or Limit Adult Websites, or Family Link). On iPhone, block Image Creation and Realistic Images under Siri.
    3. Talk before it happens: fakes exist, making one of a classmate is a crime, and your child can come to you.
    What's new with parental controls (Apple, iOS 27)

How we check lists what was left off Fake nude images.