Amarillo, Texas (KFDA) – Child safety experts are alarming about artificial intelligence applications that children can easily access.
This is a report of a surge in AI-related sexual exploitation of children has risen sharply over the past year.
In 2024, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received 67,000 reports of child sexual exploitation, including produced AI. This is an increase of over 1,000% from the previous year.
Courtney MA and Sarahbeth Cook with The Bridge Children's Advocacy Center say many parents are unaware of the AI apps their children use.
Dangerous AI applications targeting children
“There are also apps that let you create your own partners, which are men, women and you can talk about how you want it,” MA said. “It can tell you how you like it. It can have the same idea as you. So basically you can create your own partner, your own ideal partner.”
These for these applications include platforms such as Candy.ai, C.Ai, and ChatGpt.
Even more troublesome are AI undressing applications and video creation tools.
“There's an AI undressing app that lets you upload photos and you can undress that person,” MA said. “I have an AI app and I'll make videos of anything I want to make with clothes or without clothes.”
The threat of deepfake technology
The risk goes beyond creating inappropriate content. Most people can't distinguish between actual images and images that have been manipulated by AI.
“It's not good to have access to an app where kids can make videos of people doing sexual things. And they send that video. “It has their faces, but it could be their bodies. And anyone in that video, they're still victims.”
Protect your children through communication
Ma and Cook emphasize that children need to understand the nature of AI interactions. Because they don't understand that they're talking to robots all the time.
“They should manage their expectations of relationships with AI,” Cook said. “AI is not a talking person. It's the robot on the other side.”
They recommend that parents actively engage with their children about AI use and help them establish healthy boundaries with technology.
“We have to tell our kids, 'This isn't true.' We need to maintain healthy boundaries with technology, including AI.
Cook emphasizes the importance of human connection in addressing children's needs.
“Children are just looking for people to talk to, so as parents, we need to have human connections, not relying on technology to create meaningful connections with their children,” Cook said.
Help is available through services such as Take It Down for those affected by sexually explicit images circulating online, whether real or generated by AI.
Take It Down is a free service that helps you to remove or stop online sharing of nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit images or videos you took while under the age of 18.
If someone is threatening to share your intimate image, you can get help at stopncii.org.
The website is run by the Revenge Porn Helpline, which has supported thousands of casualties since 2015.
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