Thinking about suicide or in crisis? Call or text 988Child exploitation: 1-800-843-5678
Get Help Now
Get Help
Get Help Now
Ready to make a change?

Deepfake Nudes and Nudify Apps

Deepfake nudes are fake nude or sexual images made from ordinary, fully clothed photos, often with AI “nudify” apps. If your child has been targeted, three things are true. It isn’t their fault. Making or sharing sexual images of a minor, even fake ones, is illegal. And there are fast ways to get the images taken down.

By the CITA Editorial TeamUpdated October 3, 20268 min read

Fast Facts About Deepfake Nudes

  • In a 2024 survey, 1 in 8 young people ages 13 to 20 personally knew someone targeted by deepfake nudes, and 1 in 17 had been targeted themselves.[1]
  • NCMEC sees these incidents most often among classmates ages 14 to 17.[3]
  • The FBI warns that sexual images of minors made with AI are illegal child sexual abuse material.[4]
  • Since May 19, 2026, platforms must remove these images within 48 hours of a valid request.[6]
  • NCMEC’s CyberTipline received more than 400,000 reports with a generative AI connection in 2025.[5]

If your child is being threatened right now

  • Don’t pay and don’t send anything more, even if the image is fake. Follow the steps in the sextortion guide.
  • Report to the NCMEC CyberTipline: report.cybertip.org or 1-800-843-5678.
  • If your child is thinking about suicide or feels there is no way out, call or text 988. Call 911 if anyone is in immediate danger.

What Are Deepfake Nudes?

Deepfake nudes are fake images, videos or audio that show real people in sexually suggestive or explicit situations they were never in.[1] “Nudify” apps make them from ordinary photos: a picture from social media, a school event or a friend’s phone. Free AI image generators and chatbots can be misused the same way.[3]

Faking a convincing photo used to take time and skill. Generative AI makes realistic fakes in seconds, with almost no skill, and anyone can be targeted, whether or not they’ve ever taken or shared a nude.[1] The images may be fake, but NCMEC is clear that the harm is real: victims are left humiliated, harassed and emotionally distressed.[3]

How Common Are Deepfake Nudes Among Teens?

Thorn, a nonprofit that builds technology to fight child sexual abuse, surveyed 1,200 young people ages 13 to 20 across the U.S. in the fall of 2024:[1]

  • 41% had heard the term “deepfake nudes,” including 31% of teens ages 13 to 17.
  • 13%, about 1 in 8, personally knew someone who had been targeted.
  • 6%, about 1 in 17, had been targeted themselves. The rate was highest, 10%, among boys ages 13 to 14 and young women ages 18 to 20.
  • 84% said deepfake nudes harm the person shown.
  • 2% admitted making deepfake nudes of someone else. They described finding the tools through app stores, search engines and social media.

The people who make them vary. Thorn says adults with a sexual interest in children use these tools, and sextortion scammers use fake images to threaten victims. Some teens make them of classmates out of sexual curiosity, peer pressure or as a form of bullying.[1] NCMEC says it is seeing a growing number of these incidents in schools.[3]

Reports are climbing fast. NCMEC’s CyberTipline received 4,700 reports involving generative AI in 2023 and 67,000 in 2024. In 2025, it received more than 400,000 reports of exploitation with a generative AI connection.[5]

Are Deepfake Nudes Illegal?

In the situations most parents are worried about, yes.

  • Images of minors: the FBI warns that child sexual abuse material made with AI is illegal. Federal law bans producing, distributing, receiving and possessing it, including realistic computer-generated images. The FBI specifically mentions teens altering clothed photos of classmates to make them appear nude.[4]
  • Posting or threatening to post: the Take It Down Act makes it a federal crime to knowingly publish intimate images without consent, including AI fakes, or to threaten to. Prison terms reach three years when the victim is a minor.[6]
  • Removal: since May 19, 2026, platforms must take these images down within 48 hours of a valid request. The Federal Trade Commission enforces that rule. In May 2026, it sent warning letters to 12 companies offering nudify tools that appeared to have no removal process.[6][7]

Our guide to the Take It Down Act covers the law in detail, including exactly what a removal request must say.

If Your Child Is Targeted: What to Do First

  1. Stay calm, believe your child and tell them it isn’t their fault. Children whose parents respond with support tend to heal more quickly.[10]
  2. Don’t save, forward or share the image, even to show the school or police. Write down where it is instead: links, usernames, group chat names and dates.[3][8]
  3. Report it to the NCMEC CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org or 1-800-843-5678. The FBI also takes reports at ic3.gov.[3][4]
  4. Report it to the platform where it’s posted. Under the Take It Down Act, the platform must remove it within 48 hours of a valid request. If it doesn’t, report the platform to the FTC at TakeItDown.ftc.gov.[6][9]
  5. Use Take It Down to stop it spreading. NCMEC’s free tool creates a digital fingerprint of the image on your own device, so participating platforms can find and remove copies, and NCMEC says it can help with AI-generated images. It only works with images already on your device, so don’t download the image to use it. It also can’t scan encrypted messaging apps.[3][8]
  6. Tell the school, and ask how it handles AI-generated explicit images.[3]
  7. Report the person who made or shared it to local police and to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov.[9]
  8. Keep checking on how your child is doing. If they talk about wanting to die or feeling there’s no way out, call or text 988.[12]

If the image shows an adult, including your 18-year-old, use StopNCII.org instead of Take It Down. It works the same way and accepts deepfakes, as long as the person in the image has a copy on their device. The person in the image has to submit it themselves.[11]

How to Talk With Your Child About Deepfake Nudes

Many parents have never heard of nudify apps, but many kids have.[3] A conversation before anything happens is one of the best protections you have:

  • Start early. Bring it up even if your child hasn’t run into it yet, so they recognize it if they do.[2][3]
  • Be clear that it’s never okay to make or share a fake nude of anyone, even as a joke. Some teens see these images as harmless or funny, and the FTC warns that possessing or sharing explicit images of children can be a serious crime.[2][13]
  • Teach them to say no to anyone who asks for a nude picture or video.[13]
  • Tell them what to do if they see one: don’t save it, don’t share it, and tell a trusted adult.[3]
  • Tell them what to do if it happens to them or a friend: tell you or another trusted adult, report it on the platform, and report it to the CyberTipline.[3][13]
  • Keep checking in, because the apps and trends change quickly.[3]

Be ready for silence, too. In Thorn’s survey, 62% of young people who hadn’t been targeted said they would tell a parent if it happened to them. Only 34% of the young people who were actually targeted did.[1] Telling your child ahead of time that they can come to you, and that you’ll help rather than blame them, makes that conversation easier.

If Your Child Made or Shared One

Take it seriously, and don’t let it spread any further. The FBI treats sexual images of minors made with AI as illegal child sexual abuse material, and it specifically mentions teens altering classmates’ photos.[4] Talk with your child about the harm to the person in the image. NCMEC’s guidance is that creating or sharing AI-generated nude images of another person is never okay.[3]

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a nudify app?

A nudify app uses AI to turn an ordinary, fully clothed photo into a fake nude or sexually explicit image. Free AI image generators and chatbots can be misused the same way.[3]

Are deepfake nudes illegal?

Sexual images of minors made with AI are illegal under federal law, the FBI says. The Take It Down Act also makes it a federal crime to publish intimate images without consent, including AI fakes, or to threaten to.[4][6]

How do I get a deepfake nude of my child removed?

Report it to the platform, which must remove it within 48 hours of a valid request. Then use NCMEC’s Take It Down to help stop copies spreading, and report it to the CyberTipline.[3][6][8]

Can Take It Down remove AI-generated images?

Yes. NCMEC says victims of AI-generated explicit images can use Take It Down. It only works with images already on your device, and only on participating platforms that aren’t encrypted.[3][8]

Can my child get in trouble for making a deepfake nude?

Yes. The FBI says sexual images of minors made with AI are illegal child sexual abuse material, and it specifically mentions teens altering classmates’ photos to make them appear nude. The FTC warns that possessing or sharing explicit images of children can be a serious crime, even as a joke.[4][13]

What if the deepfake shows an adult?

Adults can use StopNCII.org, which accepts deepfakes as long as the person in the image has a copy. Under the Take It Down Act, platforms must also remove intimate images of adults posted without consent within 48 hours of a valid request.[6][11]

Sources

  1. Thorn. (2025, March 3). Deepfake Nudes & Young People: Navigating a New Frontier in Technology-Facilitated Nonconsensual Sexual Abuse and Exploitation.
  2. Thorn. (2025, March 3). Deepfake Nudes Are a Harmful Reality for Youth: New Research From Thorn.
  3. Vaughan, E. H., National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. (2026, August 11). Back-to-School Checklist: Talk About AI “Nudify” Apps.
  4. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internet Crime Complaint Center. (2024, March 29). Child Sexual Abuse Material Created by Generative AI and Similar Online Tools Is Illegal (Alert No. I-032924-PSA).
  5. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. (n.d.). CyberTipline Data.
  6. TAKE IT DOWN Act, Pub. L. No. 119-12, 139 Stat. 55 (2025). Public Law 119-12.
  7. Federal Trade Commission. (2026, May 20). FTC Sends Warning Letters to Companies About Compliance with the TAKE IT DOWN Act.
  8. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. (n.d.). Take It Down.
  9. Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Advice. (2026, May). What Will the FTC’s Enforcement of the TAKE IT DOWN Act Mean for You?
  10. National Child Traumatic Stress Network. (2009, April). What to Do If Your Child Discloses Sexual Abuse: Information for Parents and Caregivers.
  11. StopNCII.org. (n.d.). Frequently Asked Questions.
  12. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. (n.d.). 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
  13. Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Advice. (2026, October 1). Talking With Parents and Kids About Deepfakes, Online Safety, and the Take It Down Act.
Scroll to Top