Artificial intelligence (AI) and deepfake awareness
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AI is increasingly used to create, edit, and share digital content. While AI has many positive applications, it also poses risks, such as deepfakes and AI-manipulated content, which can mislead, impersonate, or harm individuals and communities, including through cyberbullying.
What is a deepfake?
A deepfake is AI-generated media that manipulates a person's image, voice, or likeness to make it appear they are saying or doing something they did not. Deepfakes are often shared on social media platforms or messaging apps and can include:
- face swapping—replacing a person's face in a video or photo with someone else's
- voice cloning—using AI to mimic someone's voice
- lip syncing—making a person's lips match different audio.
Example: An altered video of a person appearing to say or do something they never did, such as making inappropriate comments.
Understanding the risks of deepfakes
Deepfakes can make fake content appear real, leading to serious consequences. While some deepfakes may seem harmless or entertaining, malicious use can cause harm. Key risks include:
- cyberbullying—embarrassing or hurtful videos or audio targeting individuals
- threats and blackmail—fake content used to harass, threaten or extort individuals
- fake news—manipulated content designed to mislead or influence opinions
- non-consensual intimate images—AI-generated content that removes clothing or creates explicit images without consent.
Nude or sexual deepfakes
AI tools are increasingly being used to create nude or sexual deepfakes. Sharing, forwarding, or saving such content can cause serious harm and will breach school policies and the law.
For more information, visit the eSafety Commissioner's page on deepfake trends and challenges and image-based abuse.
Impacts on students
Deepfake content poses risks to students and school communities, as it can cause emotional distress or reputational harm, and spread misinformation.
Students may encounter and identify deepfake content impacting them via:
- fake videos of their classmates
- AI generated bullying content
- manipulated photos shared online
- impersonation on social platforms.
Deepfake content can escalate cyberbullying and make it hard for parents and students to determine what is real. As this type of content can be highly convincing, it should always reported.
How to protect your children at home
Visit eSafety's Social media age restrictions hub to remain up-to-date on information about age-restricted platforms. If your child is old enough to access social media, encourage them to:
- be cautious with personal information—think before sharing photos, videos or audio online. Use privacy settings to limit access and avoid accepting requests from strangers
- check privacy settings—regularly review privacy settings on social media, apps and websites
- watermark public content—add digital watermarks to discourage misuse and identify copied content
- stay informed—learn how deepfakes and online scams work to recognise warning signs
- enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on personal devices and accounts—add an extra layer of security to important accounts
- use strong, unique passwords—avoid reusing passwords and consider using a password manager
- keep devices updated—regularly update devices, apps and software to fix vulnerabilities
- be alert to scams—watch for unexpected messages or requests for personal information. Verify suspicious content with a trusted adult or organisation
- make sure you and your children know how to report concerns—ensure students know that if they encounter a deepfake, scam or fake account they must report it to a parent, carer, trusted adult or school staff member. Harmful content can also be reported to platforms or authorities.
Where can I get help?
The eSafety Commissioner provides a suite of resources, helping Australians to have safer, more positive experiences online. In particular, there is a parent page and a young people page which provide advice for parents, carers and children about staying safe online.
As a parent, if you identify that your child has been impacted by an online activity or is a victim of harmful content then you should alert the eSafety Commissioner via their 'Report online harm' tool. We suggest as part of this reporting process, you inform your school of the incident, so they can also provide support.
Support and resources
For students
- Encourage students to speak to a trusted adult (parent, carer or teacher) if they encounter harmful or bullying online content
- Students using school devices can access a direct reporting button to the eSafety Commissioner's website, via the device desktop
- eSafety Commissioner: Critical thinking resources for identifying AI scams and fake news
- eSafety Commissioner: How do I know if something is fake
- eSafety young people