# Child Deepfake First-Response Checklist

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

> If the content is sexual or nude imagery of a minor, it is illegal content regardless of how it was
> made. Do not download, screenshot, save, or forward it beyond the official tools below — including
> to warn others or to "prove" it exists. This checklist is practical first-response guidance, not
> legal advice; routes depend on jurisdiction and harm.

## Step 1: preserve evidence the right way

- [ ] If sexual **and** the file is already on a device you control: use
      [Take It Down](https://takeitdown.ncmec.org/) — it fingerprints the image on-device; the file
      itself is never uploaded. Do **not** download or copy the file just to submit it.
- [ ] 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](https://report.cybertip.org/).
- [ ] 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

- [ ] Sexual imagery of a minor: [NCMEC CyberTipline](https://report.cybertip.org/) (US) or
      [Internet Watch Foundation](https://www.iwf.org.uk/) (international hosting), plus local law
      enforcement — not optional. Take It Down is an additional hash step when you already have a
      local file, not a substitute for CyberTipline.
- [ ] Active threat / sextortion: do not pay; do not delete the account or the threatening messages;
      preserve offender profile URL + conversation evidence; report the **threat** specifically to
      CyberTipline / national equivalent and local law enforcement.
- [ ] Non-sexual but harmful/defamatory content involving school context: notify the school directly,
      in addition to the platform.
- [ ] Another child involved as creator or target: handled adult-to-adult with the other child's
      parents or the school, not left to the children to resolve between themselves.

## Reporting links to bookmark now

- NCMEC CyberTipline (report tip / URL / threat): https://report.cybertip.org/
- Take It Down (on-device hash only if file already on device): https://takeitdown.ncmec.org/
- Internet Watch Foundation (UK/international hosting): https://www.iwf.org.uk/
- Your national reporting body: ____________________________________________
- Your child's school safeguarding contact: ____________________________________________

## After the immediate response

- [ ] Involve a school counselor or mental health professional proactively — this does not need to
      wait for visible distress.
- [ ] 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.