Shocking News: AI Is Turning Children’s Photos Into CSAM

As a mom of two girls, I made a conscious decision early on: I wouldn’t share my daughters’ photos on social media.

At the time, it was instinctive — a quiet discomfort about exposing too much of their lives online. I didn’t have the data or headlines to back up my choice, but I knew that the digital world didn’t feel like a safe place for my children’s images to live.

Today, stories like the one recently reported by Forbes — about AI being used to turn children’s social media photos into child sexual abuse material (CSAM) — validate that decision in the most chilling way possible.

AI Tools Are Turning Innocent Photos into Exploited Images

A recent Forbes investigation uncovered a terrifying new trend: predators are using AI-powered “nudifier” apps to create Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) from everyday photos of children posted online.

These tools — initially created for adult content — are now being misused to digitally undress images of minors and turn them into explicit content. All it takes is one public photo.

And perhaps the most disturbing part? The victim might never know it’s happened.

Law Enforcement Can’t Keep Up

Mike Prado, Deputy Chief at the DHS ICE Cyber Crimes Unit in the U.S, confirmed what many feared: photos of children posted on social media are being scraped and altered using AI.

He shared real-world cases where predators took innocent pictures — family vacation snaps, back-to-school portraits — and transformed them into CSAM using freely available apps.

This threat goes beyond digital platforms. Offenders have also taken real-life photos of children in public spaces — at Disney World, outside schools — and used AI to modify them into illegal content.

In one horrifying case, a convicted sex offender stole a parent’s photo from Facebook, shared it in an encrypted group, and others turned it into sexually explicit imagery. He was found with thousands of pieces of CSAM — many generated by AI.

Is Sharenting Still Worth the Risk?

So I ask you again — are we still debating sharenting?

We lock our doors. We teach our kids not to talk to strangers. We research schools and worry about screen time. But when it comes to social media, we sometimes forget that the biggest risks come from the photos we post ourselves.

This isn’t about panic. It’s about awareness. About protecting our kids in a digital world that’s evolving faster than our rules.

Likes and comments are not worth compromising our children’s safety.

This isn’t about saying “never share” — it’s about knowing the risk and making thoughtful choices. Maybe it’s time we draw clearer boundaries. Maybe we normalize not posting every moment.

Because once something is online, we don’t always get to decide where it goes next.

Let’s be conscious. Let’s be cautious. Let’s protect what matters most.