In an alarming new development, UNICEF has issued a global warning to governments and technology developers about the rapid increase in AI-generated sexualized images of children. The United Nations agency stressed that these harmful deepfakes represent a significant escalation in child abuse and exploitation online, with real emotional and legal consequences for victims.
The Growing AI Deepfake Threat
Artificial intelligence tools, especially generative models, have made it easier to create fabricated sexual imagery involving minors.
According to UNICEF, deepfakes can remove clothing, alter faces, and create explicit content without a child’s consent. These images can be generated at scale and with frightening realism.
While generative AI offers major benefits for education, creativity, and innovation, however its misuse continues to pose a serious and escalating threat to child safety. In some countries studied, research indicates that up to one in 25 children reported that their images had been manipulated into sexualized deepfakes in the past year equivalent to a child in every typical classroom. This widespread digital victimization amplifies the dangers that children face in the online world.
“Deepfake Abuse is Abuse”: UNICEF’s Core Message
In its urgent appeal, UNICEF clearly stated that “deepfake abuse is abuse.” The agency stressed that the harm to children is real, not fictional.
Nevertheless, even when a child’s identity cannot be linked to a real person, the circulation of such content remains highly dangerous. Moreover, it normalizes abusive behavior and lowers social barriers to exploitation. At the same time, it increases demand for harmful material. As a result, it places additional strain on law enforcement agencies. Ultimately, it makes the prevention and prosecution of abuse significantly more difficult.
“The rise of AI-generated child sexual abuse material (AI-CSAM) poses ethical and psychological harms, including stigmatization, defamation, and emotional trauma.”
The unchecked proliferation of these concepts can lead to complacency in public perception, with some users failing to understand that fake imagery still causes very real damage to children and communities.
What Governments and Tech Platforms Must Do
UNICEF has laid out several actionable calls to action that governments and the global technology industry must adopt:
1. Expand Legal Definitions and Penalties
Lawmakers must update existing laws. Consequently, AI-generated sexual abuse content should be treated as child sexual abuse material under the law. Furthermore, and in addition, this classification must remain valid even when no real child can be identified. Offenders must face clear criminal penalties.
2. Implement Safety-By-Design in AI Models
AI developers must build safeguards directly into their systems. These protections should stop AI tools from creating or enabling sexualized images of minors. Safety-by-design principles can help ensure that generative models include restrictions, monitoring, content filters, and ethical defaults.
3. Strengthen Detection, Reporting, and Enforcement
Governments, civil society, and AI companies must work together. They need to detect abusive deepfakes quickly, report them to authorities, and support affected individuals.
Global Coordination and Awareness
UNICEF’s call comes amid increasing global concern about how AI is reshaping society’s interaction with digital media. Beyond child protection, deeper conversations about AI oversight, ethical use, and responsible innovation are transforming public policy agendas. Governments and communities now recognize that they must prioritize children’s rights online as digital technologies evolve.
By raising the alarm on AI-generated sexualized images of children, UNICEF is pushing for global collaboration and immediate action. Societies can protect vulnerable children from AI threats only by updating laws, improving technology standards, and raising public awareness.