Have you ever asked yourself what happens when you upload a child’s photograph to an AI image tool?
These apps might seem like a lot of fun. For example, there are ones that turn a child’s image into a superhero or a cartoon.
Some parents are also proudly boasting that they can avoid paying for school photographs by uploading their child’s image and asking AI to .
The removal of a watermark from a school photo may only take a matter of seconds, but most parents have no idea what happens to the original photograph once it leaves their phone.
As teachers, we already guide and support families on online safety. However, AI image tools are a new phenomenon and a somewhat unexplored gap in that conversation. Schools are probably best placed to close that gap by educating parents about the possible associated risks.
So what do teachers need to know in order to keep families informed?
Who can see the photo once it is uploaded?
Once a photo is uploaded to an AI image tool, it is first sent to that company’s servers, which are often located in another country. What follows next depends on the terms and conditions of that company’s policy - the small print that very few people read!
Depending on the app, the photo may be:
- Stored for a period of time set by the company, even after you delete the app.
- Easily accessible to authorised staff within the company.
- Used to train future AI models.
- Shared with partner companies or advertisers.
- Exposed to a data breach if the company is hacked.
Many of the free apps that are currently being circulated are built by small or unknown developers providing limited information about their data-handling processes and security systems. What is more troublesome is that some of these companies may derive value from collecting and analysing such personal data.
It is important for parents to also understand that photos they upload may carry hidden location data revealing where their child lives or goes to school, which some platforms may not remove. Once a photo is uploaded, the parent may have less direct control of who holds their child’s image and what is done with it.
What can be done with a child’s photo?
The same technology that can make a fun cartoon or remove a watermark from a photograph can also be misused to create a serious safeguarding risk. A clear, front-facing photo of a child is exactly what many perpetrators are looking for. The safeguarding risks include:
- Sexualised imagery: perpetrators will use AI tools to turn an ordinary, innocent photograph of a real child into an indecent image.
- Fake profiles and grooming: false social media accounts can be created using the child’s photograph and then used to approach other children online.
- Bullying and humiliation: AI-altered images can be distributed among peers to humiliate and embarrass a child.
- Sextortion and scams: fake images can be used to extort money or ask children to share indecent images of themselves.
- A permanent digital footprint: images can resurface years later, often having been further manipulated.
What schools can do
Sharing information and highlighting potential risks helps parents to make thoughtful, informed choices that protect their children’s safety.
Schools can help by including information about current AI image apps in parent online safety workshops and newsletters, and making sure that families know to report concerns to the school’s designated safeguarding lead.
Leaders should review the school’s photo and AI policies, ensuring that any photographs taken at school are never uploaded to an AI image app. They should also provide training for staff on how to spot concerns early and how to respond to questions that both parents and children may have.
In addition, children should be taught about AI safety and how to protect their photographs and any personal information online.
Simple advice to share with parents
The following points of advice will be useful to share with families:
- Pause and think before uploading: would you be happy for a stranger to keep this photo?
- Read the privacy policy and avoid apps that keep images or share them with third parties.
- Never upload photos showing school uniform badges or your home.
- Turn off location data on your camera.
- If an altered image of your child appears online, report it to the platform, the school and, where needed, the police. Childline’s service can help young people get images taken down.
By starting this dialogue and discussion now, schools can help parents to enjoy the new advances in technology responsibly, while maintaining and protecting the privacy and safety of their children.
Shezleen Salaam is head of safeguarding for ÌÇÐÄVlog
