Analysis of Teens in the AI Era
Frequent exposure to explicit content continues to have profound and shocking effects on the youth in America, including my generation and my younger siblings' generation. Alongside rising trends of lookmaxxing (which involves going to extreme measures to improve your looks), deepfakes are an area that captivates me, as I was unaware before reading the Common Sense Media report "Teens in the AI Era: Pornography and Sexual Content" how often teens were being impacted.
The lack of awareness is honestly scary, as many teens may be dealing with this in isolation, with the fear that their parents simply wouldn't understand if they brought it up. I found myself thinking about my grandmother and my own mother's age gap, and how my grandmother or a person of older age would respond to their teen if this topic was brought to them, especially when awareness is so limited in this area.
Attending an online charter school, I don't have much experience with deepfakes having a profound effect on my school tenure. University View Academy has over 4,000 students from all over Louisiana. More often than not, face-to-face interactions with our classmates are limited. Whenever I do meet another student from my school, we usually exchange socials at events where parents or faculty are likely present.
In a brick-and-mortar setting, school drama and teen social dilemmas are more prevalent. Mann et al. (2026) highlight a specific case in October 2023 where male students at Westfield High School used a nudification app to generate explicit images of more than 30 female classmates, sourcing their faces from their social media photos. The chance of this happening in an online school environment is less likely but not completely absent.
Thinking about it shakes me up because there's also the flip side: Added exposure to technology could increase the chances of the same thing happening to me or my peers. In some courses, we have full visibility to classmates on screen, whether in image form or video. By turning on your camera, other students can screenshot you.
Topics such as deepfakes need broader awareness. The research report highlights graphs, figures, and teen perspectives across various demographics that model how many teens were exposed to this concerning trend. Victims, who have experienced nudification, shine light on the need for more rules and policies for youth protections. The authors emphasize how only one of the boys in this case was temporarily suspended. The girls described feeling humiliated, having to still take classes with these boys.
More light needs to be shed on this situation. There are very few resources for victims of these kinds of things. Common Sense Media also highlights how victims of nonconsensual AI-generated imagery report serious health issues, including anxiety, depression, PTSD, and even suicidal ideation. There are unfortunately increasing rates of pornography on the internet, in video games, ads, social media, and websites.
With generative AI becoming more advanced by the second, many adults from older generations can't recognize generative AI content. I can personally speak on this; my grandmother and father struggle to recognize images generated by artificial intelligence, and when I would make an attempt to correct them, it doesn't get through. Many older generations don't understand the concept of generative AI.
If a young child or teen were to bring it up with a parent, there is a possibility that they won't believe that a nudified image isn't real. Only one in five (20%) teens have ever discussed AI-generated sexual content with a trusted adult.
Alongside being uncomfortable discussing this with parents, many kids aren't comfortable speaking with teachers or school counselors, either. When asked who kids would be most comfortable talking to about disturbing AI-generated content, 42% reported they would be more comfortable with talking with their parents or guardian, but only 13% reported being comfortable with bringing this to school counselors or teachers.
It's critical for us to put rules and guidelines in place, but also to educate teachers, school faculty, and parents on how to recognize and discuss AI with their kids. We should create a safe space for victims of nonconsensual AI-generated sexual content and make sure children and teens feel safe bringing this up with someone they trust. More awareness creates this understanding.