Why Parents Must Rethink Sharing Their Children’s Photos in the Age of AI

Last summer, my wife and I welcomed a beautiful baby girl, defying the usual odds of middle age parenthood. Despite having thousands of followers on Instagram and other platforms, I have deliberately chosen not to share any photos of our child online.

This decision is not due to withdrawing from social media but is a conscious parenting choice gaining traction amid the rise of artificial intelligence technologies.

For decades, parents have weighed the pros and cons of sharing their children's images online — a debate as old as photo-sharing websites themselves. Yet, as social media became deeply embedded in daily life, "sharenting" became widespread, with only about 25% of parents refraining from posting images of their children due to concerns over online predators and data privacy.

However, a newer and more alarming threat has pushed some parents, including myself, into the "never-post" camp: the emergence of AI-powered applications capable of generating deepfake nude images using anyone's face.

These so-called "nudifier" apps are inexpensive, easy to use, and some even offer free trials. Investigations reveal these tools are being widely accessed by students, creating traumatic experiences for victims when fabricated explicit images circulate as if genuine. Although legislation now criminalizes posting nonconsensual fake nudes online, the apps themselves remain widely available, with many sites generating millions in revenue annually.

Alexios Mantzarlis, founder of a technology publication that examined 85 such nudifier websites, emphasizes the scale of the problem: "This technology is everywhere. Any child with internet access can be either a target or a perpetrator."