The Proliferation of Deepfakes Is Profoundly Changing the Way Teenagers Use the Internet

The advent of AI-generated sexual content is rapidly and fundamentally reshaping the landscape of young people’s lives, particularly as they navigate the complex terrains of sex, relationships, and self-identity in the digital age. The effects of this technological surge are proving to be as pervasive as they are profoundly misunderstood, leaving a generation grappling with unprecedented challenges.

This stark reality comes to light through a groundbreaking new survey published by the nonprofit Common Sense Media, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing unbiased information, trusted advice, and innovative tools. Researchers at Common Sense Media undertook a comprehensive investigation into how youth are interacting with these emergent AI technologies, uncovering trends and harms that unequivocally demand immediate and concerted attention from all corners of society.

The nationally representative survey gathered insights from a substantial cohort of 1,314 teenagers, spanning ages 13 to 17. To enrich these quantitative findings, the study also incorporated qualitative data gleaned from in-depth interviews and focused group discussions, providing a nuanced understanding of the lived experiences of young people. For the purpose of this pivotal report, AI-generated sexual content was broadly defined to encompass deepfaked nude images or pornographic material featuring real individuals, AI-generated images and videos depicting people in revealing or sexually explicit scenarios, and indeed, “any other sexual content made by AI.” This research arrives at a critical juncture, as middle and high schools across the United States find themselves increasingly overwhelmed by an alarming explosion of nonconsensual deepfakes targeting minors, predominantly created and disseminated within peer networks. This crisis highlights not just a technological challenge, but a profound social and ethical one.

Supreet Mann, Common Sense Media’s director of research and the lead author of this seminal report, articulated the gravity of the situation to *Futurism*: “For a good chunk of teens, one, they’re being exposed to this content — but two, they are creating and sharing this content. And when they’re doing that, it’s very often of people they know personally or themselves.” This dual exposure – both as potential victims and sometimes as unwitting or intentional perpetrators – underscores the intricate web of interactions that define this new digital frontier for youth.

The report’s findings are particularly unsettling: nearly half of all high school and middle school-aged teens surveyed indicated that they had encountered what they believed to be AI-generated sexual content. A significant majority of these teens reported discovering such content accidentally, often through the pervasive channels of social media platforms, which frequently employ algorithms that can inadvertently amplify or expose users to a wide array of content. Delving deeper into the nature of the content seen, approximately 64 percent of teens who reported exposure said the material depicted recognizable celebrities. Far more disturbing, however, was the revelation that 24 percent of these young people shared that the content depicted either themselves or someone they knew in real life, a statistic that speaks volumes about the deeply personal and invasive nature of this threat.

The issue is not merely one of passive exposure. The survey also revealed an active participation component, with roughly eight percent of teens admitting to creating deepfakes or other forms of AI-generated sexual content themselves. An additional 13 percent reported knowing someone who had generated sexual content using AI, indicating a broader awareness and presence of these activities within adolescent social circles. Among the cohort involved in creation, a staggering more than 60 percent noted that the “content depicted themselves or people they know personally, like peers, friends, or current and former romantic partners.” This statistic underscores a critical and disturbing trend: the technology is often being weaponized within existing social dynamics, turning trusted relationships into vectors for harm.

The pervasive anxiety surrounding this type of material has already compelled many young people to fundamentally alter their online behaviors, as highlighted by the report. Approximately 67 percent of surveyed teens expressed at least some level of worry about the possibility of being impacted by deepfakes, signaling a widespread sense of vulnerability. In response to these fears, a significant nearly 40 percent have taken concrete steps such as making their social media accounts private, actively limiting the personal information they share online, or in some cases, entirely deleting their social media presence. These actions represent a profound shift in digital habits, driven by a legitimate concern for personal safety and reputation.

Mann elaborated on this behavioral shift: “About two-thirds of teens indicated that they were worried about this, and many of those young people are changing their online behaviors because of that fear… that’s a very interesting tell of how young people are thinking about the content, and they’re thinking about this lack of agency that they have in the space.” While a heightened critical awareness of one’s online presence is generally beneficial, Mann cautioned that the current situation places an undue and heavy burden on teens themselves to cope with the relentless influx of deepfakes. “Why are young people being forced to police themselves,” asked the researcher, “when this really shouldn’t be their burden to carry?” This rhetorical question cuts to the heart of the matter, pointing to a systemic failure to protect vulnerable populations online.

The reasons for such widespread fear among teens are tragically apparent. The proliferation of easily-accessible “nudify” apps, widely available online and even through mainstream app stores, has made it trivially simple to artificially undress individuals in images without their consent. With just a photo and a few clicks, these tools empower malicious actors to create highly convincing fake nude images, stripping victims of their privacy and autonomy. Moreover, general-use chatbots – most notably xAI’s Grok – have also been implicated in the creation of deepfakes, including those involving minors, demonstrating the broad and often unintended misuse of AI technologies.

The real-world consequences of these technologies have already reverberated through communities across the US. Deepfake scandals have rocked towns, particularly impacting girls who have described experiencing crushing anxiety, debilitating panic attacks, thoughts of self-harm, and a profound erosion of trust in their peers and social environment. For example, reports from Radnor High School in Pennsylvania and Westfield High School have detailed how these incidents have devastated student populations. In other cases, teenage creators of deepfake porn, some of whom have confessed to generating hundreds of these illicit images, have faced arrest and criminal charges, underscoring the severe legal ramifications. Under federal law, AI-generated sexual imagery depicting minors is unequivocally considered illegal child sexual abuse material.

The issue has even escalated to legal battles. One family in Louisiana notably sued a school district after their 13-year-old daughter, following unsuccessful attempts to alert school officials, was expelled for physically confronting a classmate who had created and shared nonconsensual deepfakes of her and her friends. The lawsuit alleged that the boy who generated the images received no disciplinary action, highlighting perceived inequities in how such incidents are handled by institutions.

Despite the grim picture, Mann identified a crucial “bright spot” in the survey findings: a significant number of kids expressed a desire to discuss this strange new digital world with trusted adults in their lives, yet they often felt unsure how to initiate these sensitive conversations. “Only one in five [teens] said that they had ever talked to a trusted adult about this. But a third of teens said that they want to talk to someone, they just don’t know how to have the conversation,” Mann revealed. She added that younger teens are more inclined to seek dialogue with trusted adults about this kind of material compared to older adolescents. Interestingly, one in ten teens shared that they would feel most comfortable discussing what they were seeing with a chatbot, a preference that, while perhaps born of a desire for anonymity, also points to a potential vacuum in human-led support.

To Mann, these responses signal a clear message: “kids are open to having these conversations,” and “getting in there early and creating that space for conversation is really key.” She emphasized a “unique window of opportunity for parents to start having these conversations with their kiddos, and to just not wait on the conversation.” The imperative, Mann stressed, is clear: “We don’t want our kids to be turning to AI chatbots to have conversations, or to not have these conversations at all.”

Beyond individual conversations, the responsibility extends to a broader network of stakeholders: schools, policymakers, and critically, tech companies. The latter, in particular, bear a significant ethical and corporate responsibility, as they are both building the tools used to generate this harmful material and operating the platforms where young people frequently encounter AI-generated sexual content. These entities need to be proactive in understanding the nuances of this material and implementing robust measures to mitigate its harms. One significant challenge lies in limiting the creation of deepfakes at their source. This effort has led some local officials to view app stores as a potential choke point in the deepfake supply chain. Just last week, the city of San Francisco took a decisive step, commanding Apple and Google to remove “nudify” apps from their respective app stores, setting a precedent for regulatory intervention.

“This is really something that needs to be tackled from all angles,” Mann concluded, emphasizing that no single solution or entity can address the complexity and scale of the problem. It requires a multi-pronged approach involving education, legislation, technological safeguards, and open communication.

In the interim, it is predominantly kids who are bearing the brunt of the lived impact of artificial porn and deepfakes on their personal well-being and social lives. Their experiences highlight a profound generational divide in understanding and interacting with advanced technology. As one 17-year-old girl powerfully articulated to researchers: “We grew as AI grew. We grew up together. Adults don’t have the same life experience that we do. They don’t understand how advanced and how intense AI is.” This statement serves as a potent reminder of the urgency for adults to bridge this understanding gap and collaborate with young people to forge a safer and more ethical digital future. Without concerted effort, the promise of AI risks being overshadowed by its potential for profound and lasting harm on the most vulnerable members of society.