Summary:
- What is the Take It Down Act? The Take It Down Act is legislation designed to criminalize the creation and distribution of AI-generated, nonconsensual nude images (deepfake nudes) to protect young people from harassment and exploitation.
- What are deepfake nudes? Deepfake nudes are nonconsensual, AI-generated nude images created by altering existing photos to depict individuals naked.
- How do deepfake nudes impact teens? Deepfake nudes can cause severe emotional distress, anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, social isolation, and damage to self-esteem.
- How can parents protect their children? Parents can protect their children by having open conversations about online safety, using AI-powered parental control apps like MMGuardian, and staying informed about the dangers of deepfakes.
There is a new and disturbing trend affecting young people today. Teens, primarily boys, are using the power of AI to create nonconsensual nude pictures of their friends and classmates. These images, referred to as deepfake nudes, have been altered by taking an appropriate picture and removing clothing to create a naked digital replica of the subject. “Nudify” apps make this possible in just a few clicks. In response to this widespread trend, First Lady Melania Trump is partnering with members of Congress to tackle this issue through legislation called the Take It Down Act.
Protecting children in the digital realm is a bipartisan issue many lawmakers recognize as one of the most pressing threats affecting our youth. Until now, the biggest dangers of online activity included cyberbullying, online predators, and exposure to inappropriate content. The addition of AI and the ability to alter images has taken the harmful effects of the internet to a whole new level. The Take It Down Act aims to treat this threat as criminal.
Why We Need the Take It Down Act:
While teens sharing and distributing nude pictures has been an ongoing issue, the addition of “nudify” apps created a way to turn a picture of an appropriate subject into a fake naked picture. The New York Times states that this issue has reached an epidemic in high schools nationwide. Deepfake nudes are used in high schools and middle schools to harass and humiliate peers.
Thorn, a non-profit organization dedicated to combating child sexual abuse online, has conducted extensive research on deepfake nudes and their impact on young people. Their reports provide valuable insights into the prevalence and effects of this form of abuse. Thorn found that 1 in 8 teens surveyed reported knowing someone who was targeted by deepfake nudes.
Key findings from Thorn’s research include:
- A significant number of young people are familiar with deepfake nudes, and many have personal connections to this harm.
- Victims experience severe emotional and psychological distress.
- That there are misconceptions about the harm caused by deepfake nudes.
Victims of nonconsensual nude picture sharing have increased levels of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. They often face social ostracization and cyberbullying. In addition, it can be very difficult to stop the spread of the image.
Read more about the social repercussions of sending nudes on our blog.
How to Protect Your Kids from Deepfake Nudes:
You may think that your teen knows better than to send or share nude pictures, but how sure can you be that they can stand up to the social pressures presented by this issue? There are proactive steps parents can take to ensure you have educated your child on the risks and repercussions of engaging in this behavior.
- Have an open, nonjudgmental conversation with your teens and tweens about deepfake nudes. Be sure to highlight:
- Never send pictures of yourself, nude or otherwise, to anyone you do not know or trust.
- What to do if someone sends them a nude picture.
- Encourage them to come to you (free of fear of punishment) if they receive or send something that makes them feel uncomfortable.
- Use Parental Awareness software like MMGuardian’s image detection.
- MMGuardian’s image detection software is powered by AI and will immediately notify you of any inappropriate images sent or received.
- Notifications are sent directly to the Parent Control app on your phone.
- Educate Yourself.
- Use MMGuardian’s Parent Info Center to stay up-to-date on the pressing issues impacting your kids’ safety online.
- Watch this video from CyberTeenSafe Nation on core rules for Raising A Child in an Online World.
The Take It Down Act is gaining momentum as it garners support from big tech companies like TikTok and Meta, which have struggled to remove ads for these nudity apps. The Act aims to criminalize these types of nonconsensual images and make it easier for victims to get the pictures removed. This means that any individual, regardless of age, who knowingly distributes nonconsensual deepfake sexual images could face severe legal consequences. Lawmakers hope to make the Take It Down Act a federal criminal law that could carry the potential for felony charges.
It is more important than ever to have parent control software to aid parents in protecting their children’s online lives. The MMGuardian app and MMGuardian Phone will be invaluable tools in alerting you to inappropriate content and keeping your kids safe online.
Key Takeaways:
- AI-powered apps have created the ability to turn a standard, appropriate image into a fake nude picture.
- High School and Middle school-aged students have been victimized by these nonconsensual deepfake nude pictures so prevalently the problem is being labeled as an epidemic.
- Lawmakers have created the Take It Down Act to bring federal felony charges against anyone who creates or shares these nonconsensual images and to make it easier to have them removed.
- Parents should educate themselves and their children on the tech, harm, and repercussions associated with deepfake nudes.
- Use MMGuardian’s image detection software to alert you to the first sign of trouble.
