Child Deepfake First-Response Checklist

Companion to if a child is the target of an AI deepfake: a first-response plan. Bookmark this now, before you need it.

If content appears to sexualize a child, do not forward it, repeatedly view it, or download a new copy to investigate. Whether synthetic content meets a criminal definition, what evidence should be retained, and who must report vary by jurisdiction and facts. Use the platform’s dedicated safety report and the official child-exploitation reporting route for your location, then follow their instructions. This checklist is not legal advice or a jurisdiction-specific evidence protocol.

Step 1: preserve evidence the right way

• If an apparently eligible nude, partially nude or sexually explicit file is already on the eligible person’s device, read Take It Down’s current FAQ and follow it on that device without copying the file. The service hashes eligible material without uploading it, but a local file alone does not establish eligibility and participating services do not cover every platform.
• If the image is wholly synthetic or Take It Down eligibility is uncertain, use CyberTipline or the applicable national hotline for direction.
• If sexual and you only saw it on someone else’s feed / a URL you do not control: do not download it. Record URL, platform, username, date/time, and a text description; report that URL to the platform and to the CyberTipline.
• If not sexual (bullying face-swap, fake quote, fabricated video): record the URL, platform, date/time, and a text description. Screenshot only if the content itself is non-sexual.
• Do not view the content repeatedly “to be sure.” Report it; let the platform or authority make the technical determination.

Step 2: reduce spread through the platform

• Report through the platform’s dedicated abuse/safety tool (not a general contact form) — look for a specific category for non-consensual or sexualized imagery of a minor.
• Do not forward the content to your own contacts to “warn” them — this increases the number of people who have seen or can find it.
• Do not spend time trying to verify how convincing or “real” the image looks before reporting. Report regardless.

Step 3: involve the child supportively

• Lead with reassurance: they did nothing wrong, this is not their fault.
• Ask what they already know and who else has seen it — gently, without pressing for detail beyond what’s needed to act.
• Do not have them view the material again unless a professional handling the report specifically needs it.

Step 4: notify the right authority

• Content that appears to sexualize a child: use NCMEC CyberTipline in the United States, the UK’s Internet Watch Foundation where applicable, or an official national hotline found through INHOPE. Contact local law enforcement or a qualified safeguarding professional when the reporting body, immediate danger, threats, or local rules direct you to do so.
• Active threat / sextortion: do not pay or negotiate. Preserve non-content identifiers and messages only as official guidance for your jurisdiction allows; do not expose the child to the material again to collect evidence. Report the threat to the platform, national reporting body, and emergency or law-enforcement services if there is immediate danger or the official route directs it.
• Non-sexual harmful content involving school context: use the school’s safeguarding or harassment route in addition to the platform; obtain legal advice before making a defamation allegation.
• Another child involved as creator or target: report through the platform and the school’s designated safeguarding lead or official authority. Do not contact another child or family directly when that could increase spread, retaliation, evidence loss or risk.

Reporting links to bookmark now

• NCMEC CyberTipline (report tip / URL / threat): https://report.cybertip.org/
• Take It Down (check current eligibility; never download a file to use it): https://takeitdown.ncmec.org/
• Internet Watch Foundation (check whether its route applies): https://www.iwf.org.uk/
• INHOPE national-hotline directory: https://www.inhope.org/EN
• Your national reporting body: ____________________________________________
• Your child’s school safeguarding contact: ____________________________________________

After the immediate response

• Offer the child a trusted support person and obtain qualified safeguarding or mental-health support appropriate to the child’s needs and the incident; visible distress is not the only factor.
• Do not let the child process the event primarily through an AI chatbot; this needs a person.
• If the material came from a peer group, involve the school as a matter of course.