a photograph is shared. It’s no longer a question of simply who can see it, regardless of whether your account is set to private or public. It is what someone might do with it. A photo can reveal more than your child’s face. It may show their recognisable school uniform, favourite playground, sports club, or a street sign. One single photo may reveal very little. But a collection of images, gathered over time, can show routines, relationships, locations and family habits. Artificial Intelligence has made it quicker
and easier to collect, analyse and use information that has already been gathered. AI hasn’t invented these risks - they existed long ago. People have always been capable of impersonating, manipulating and targeting victims. AI has simply made the process faster and available to far more people. Then there is synthetic media. Family photos can be altered or used to create convincing fake images without a family’s knowledge. You may have heard this described as “nudification”. There are apps capable of creating sexualised deepfake
images from an ordinary photo. It’s a disturbing subject, and not one any parent wants to imagine. However, pretending it does not happen does not make it less relevant. Young people need to understand that a photograph shared online can be copied and altered without them knowing. That doesn’t make them responsible for abuse or misuse of their image. The responsibility always lies with the person doing the harm. But children need an understanding of the risk - before they learn about it in a far more upsetting way.
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2026 | 21
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