The rise of nudification apps: what schools need to know and do

A Year 8 student comes to you during breaktime, visibly disturbed.

An image of her is being circulated around the school. Someone has taken an innocent picture of her from the internet and used AI to alter it, making it appear as though she is naked.

She knows the image is fake, but to other students - and to her friends - it looks very real.

Safeguarding risk of apps

Nudification tools are increasingly being used to digitally strip clothing from photographs of real children, creating sexually abusive images of them. These are then being shared and reshared, often being further manipulated in the process.

The damage is immeasurable.

Despite a strong legal response to image-based abuse, with the creation of intimate deepfakes now being a criminal offence, the children’s commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, has called for a total ban on nudification apps.

“The online world is revolutionary and quickly evolving, but there is no positive reason for these particular apps to exist. They have no place in our society. Tools using deepfake technology to create naked images of children should not be legal and I’m calling on the government to take decisive action to ban them, instead of allowing them to go unchecked with extreme real-world consequences,” she said.

Illegal imagery

The scale of the risk is reflected in research from the UK Safer Internet Centre, which found that around one in eight 13- to 17-year-olds had seen peers using AI to create sexual images or videos of others, including teachers.

With a single app now able to generate abusive imagery in seconds, the barriers to creating and sharing illegal content have fallen considerably.

To avoid any doubt about the level of crime here, AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is described by victims as creating the same feelings of shame and humiliation as if the image had been real.

“I was just a 14-year-old girl, and everyone is seeing my body. And even though it’s not my body, it has the same shame and the same guilt as a real photo would have,” one victim said.

How schools should respond

So, what should you do as a teacher when this happens?

• Report the incident to your designated safeguarding lead (DSL) immediately.
• Do not view, copy, print, share, save or ask the child to download or share the image - this is illegal. If the child shows you the image before you can ask them not to, then please report this to the DSL.
• Do not delete the image or ask the child to delete the image because this is evidence.
• Do not ask the child to disclose any information pertaining to the image or approach any other individuals that may be involved - this is the responsibility of the DSL.
• Do not share information about the incident with other members of staff or other children involved, or with their parents/carers - this is the responsibility of the DSL.
• Do not say anything to blame or shame the individual(s) involved.
• Explain to the child that you will need to report it to the DSL, who will then support and help them.

The DSL should hold an initial review with the reporting teacher and senior leaders, then speak separately with the children involved. Parents or carers should be informed unless doing so would place a child at greater risk. If there is an immediate safeguarding concern, the DSL should contact children’s social care and/or the police without delay.

Prioritise emotional support

It is important to support the child emotionally. Respond calmly and sensitively: a steady, predictable reaction can help them feel safe. They may also be consumed with guilt, often blaming themselves for what has happened. Reassure them by saying “This is not your fault, you are not in any trouble, and I am here for you.”

As teachers, we have a responsibility to equip children with the tools they need should they be exposed to such abuse. Dialogue is critical. This should include talking to them about who to tell, what to say and where to get support from within and outside of the school.

It is imperative that children are aware of Report Remove and how they can get help to remove nude images of themselves. Many children feel helpless in such situations - they feel that they no longer have control of their own narrative - and this may help them to restore some of that control.

Pressure on tech companies

There is a clear and urgent need for stronger measures to protect children online.

Tech companies must embed safeguards that prevent nude images from being taken, shared or viewed. Children should not carry this harm alone. Safeguarding them online is not optional; it is a necessity and a shared responsibility.

Teachers are often the first adults whom children will approach in such situations, and your initial response can shape what may happen next. The call to action is clear: look out for signs of concern, listen without judgement and report with urgency.

Shezleen Salaam is head of safeguarding for Tes