Deepfake Porn and Children

Deepfake pornographic images can destroy your child’s confidence

I’ve recently been working with a number of teenagers who have become victims of a newly growing threat: the production of deepfake pornographic images.

In each case a photo of the child was used, by his or her own peers at school, to produce pornographic imagery which was distributed throughout the school community by the use of social media. By the time my clients had a clue what was going on, the images had been seen by their friends and by their enemies.

The effects of deepfake porn can be devastating

In all cases, schools acted as fast as they could. Perpetrators were found, disciplined and often interviewed and warned by the police. Schools did their best to have the images deleted from all devices belonging to their students. However, this did little to protect the victims from the effects of these terrible actions. The images couldn’t be unseen and the effects were dreadful.

Child victims of deepfake porn imagery are reduced to having to protest that the images are fake and can never be sure who believes them. This, alone, can lead to a loss of friendships, social isolation, anxiety and depression. Victims can also never be sure that the image has completely disappeared and will never resurface in the future. Even their best friends may joke about the situation. Will they ever be able to live it down? They’re left wondering who they can trust and, all too often, they conclude that nobody can be trusted at all. The impact which this can have upon a young person’s developing psychology is significant, life-changing and potentially life-long.

School-refusal, self-harm, depression and anxiety

Teenagers have an acute social radar, constantly checking to see how they are perceived by their peers. Being the victim of deep-fake pornography is akin to being the victim of a sexual assault. Do others believe their innocence, that they played no part in the production of the photos concerned, that the images aren’t real? Do members of their own family fully appreciate how devastating this situation can be when a child’s self-confidence and social network is destroyed?

Victims commonly find themselves unable to face going to school. Overcome by the feelings of helplessness, humiliation and anxiety, some turn to self-harm in order to drive these feelings away. They withdraw, isolate themselves and become alienated from their own family when family members put pressure upon them to move past the incident and return to school. Anxiety and depression are, unsurprisingly, common consequences of being the victim of deepfake pornographic imagery.

Counselling and psychotherapy may be able to help

I have helped my clients to process the emotional consequences of being the victim of deepfake pornography. Counselling and psychotherapy helped them to learn how to deal with their emotions and how to re-engage with the world without becoming embittered, excessively distrustful or vengeful towards their peers.

It’s entirely possible for your son or daughter to learn to rebuild their sense of self, to move beyond the humiliation and the loss of friendships. They can reconstruct their lives and it has been a privilege for me to have been able to help these clients to do so.

I’m so sorry if your family has been struck by this evil and growing trend. If you need some help then give me a call on 07789123736. I’ll be glad to talk.