Sexual deepfakes and Grok images
AI tools, including Grok on X, have been used to turn ordinary photos of real people, including children, into sexualized images without their consent, and those images can be used to humiliate or blackmail.
Should I worry?
Any photo of your teen that is posted online, even a school photo or a selfie, can be altered by AI into a fake sexualized image. Researchers estimate Grok produced millions of such images in under two weeks, thousands of which appear to show children, and Canada's privacy commissioner has opened an investigation. The harm is real even though the image is fake: shame, bullying, and sometimes blackmail, where someone threatens to share the image unless the child pays or sends more. Warning signs include a teen who suddenly seems anxious or withdrawn, avoids school or their phone, deletes accounts, or mentions someone threatening them. If it happens, tell your teen it is not their fault, keep screenshots as evidence, do not engage with or pay anyone making threats, and report it to the platform. Creating or sharing these images of other young people can also lead to serious school and legal consequences, so it is worth making that clear too.
How to join in
Your teen has probably heard about AI image tools and the news around Grok, even if they never used it. Many kids find AI photo editing fun and see it as harmless, but they may not realize a joke edit of a classmate can become sexual abuse material. Ask what they have seen or heard at school about fake images, and whether anyone they know has been targeted. It is a good way in to talk about consent, privacy, and what to do if a friend is affected.
Try saying
“I read that AI can now fake photos of real people, and some of it is really ugly. If anyone ever makes or shares a fake picture of you, or threatens to, it is not your fault and you will not be in trouble with me. Just tell me, and we will deal with it together.”
If you’re worried
If your child is in immediate danger, call 911. To report online sexual exploitation, sextortion or sexual images of a minor, contact Cybertip.ca. NeedHelpNow.ca helps get intimate images removed from the internet. Kids Help Phone is available to your teen at 1-800-668-6868 or by texting 686868. If your child talks about hurting themselves, call or text 988.
Sources
From Mistlift, mistlift.app. Plain talk about what kids are into online.