15 Oct 2026 10 min read

AI and Bullying: How Parents and Educators Can Help

How AI can be used to bully children, and what parents and educators can do to help, from supporting a child to reporting fake images and harmful content.

A fake image shared in a class group chat can leave a child facing humiliation or ridicule at school, even when everyone knows it has been altered. AI tools can now make convincing images and imitate someone’s voice, giving children new ways to target one another and making it harder for adults to establish what happened.

Parents and educators don’t need technical expertise to help. Much of the established advice on bullying still applies, with some additional precautions around fabricated content and how to handle it. Most of the advice in this article is relevant wherever you live, but the legal information and reporting services relate to the UK - outside the UK, use your local child-protection services and school procedures.

If a sexual image of a child is involved, don’t ask to see it, copy or forward it, or ask your child to send it to you. Seek prompt advice before deleting existing images or messages. Tell the school’s safeguarding lead if pupils are involved. In the UK, contact police on 101 about sexual images, blackmail, or threats of violence, or call 999 if someone is in immediate danger. Outside the UK, use the equivalent local services.

How can AI be used to bully someone?

AI can generate or alter pictures and recordings to make someone appear to do or say something they never did. These are often called “deepfakes”. Voice cloning uses a recording of someone’s speech to generate new audio that sounds like them.

For example, a fake voice message could make a pupil appear to insult a friend, while an altered image could put them in a humiliating situation. AI tools can write abusive messages too, and some can turn an ordinary photograph of a child into a sexual image. In the first half of 2026, children made 420 reports to the UK’s Report Remove service (see further below) about sexual images of themselves that they believed had been faked or manipulated, more than the 397 made in the whole of 2025.

The NSPCC’s research identifies bullying and sexual harassment among the ways generative AI is already being used to harm children. AI makes some forms of manipulation quicker and more accessible, while convincing fakes can give a rumour the appearance of evidence.

An obvious fake can still be extremely hurtful. A child can know a picture is fabricated and still feel exposed when classmates circulate it. So telling them that “everyone knows it isn’t real” won’t necessarily address their fear of being laughed at, anxiety about who sees it, or worries about the image resurfacing.

How should adults respond?

Some children will tell an adult straight away, while others might worry that reporting it will lead to more sharing or make school harder. Changes such as becoming distressed after checking messages or not wanting to attend school can be reasons to ask gently whether something has happened, without assuming bullying is the cause.

If a child opens up, listen calmly and reassure them. Let them explain in their own words, make it clear that being targeted isn’t their fault, and ask what they’re most worried about. Explain what you’ll do next and involve them where possible, while also being honest if you need to tell someone responsible for safeguarding. Adults shouldn’t delay helping a child while trying to prove which AI tool was used.

Avoid automatically confiscating their phone, depending on the circumstances. The UK Safer Internet Centre warns that having a device taken away may stop children talking to adults about worrying issues in future, and losing access can also feel like a punishment and cut them off from supportive friends. Muting notifications or taking a break can help, but should be discussed with the child. If the police become involved, follow their advice about the phone, as it may hold evidence.

What practical steps can help?

Record what happened safely: Note dates, account names, and links, and keep a record of reports. For non-sexual bullying, screenshots of messages or posts can help. Do not screenshot, download, copy, or forward sexual images of anyone under 18, including AI-generated images, or ask a child to send them to you. If you’re unsure whether an altered image of a child is sexual, don’t copy or forward it. Seek safeguarding advice and follow the precautions below.
Report the content and account: Use the platform’s reporting tools and explain that the material targets a child. Say if the content is fake or impersonates the child, as well as reporting the bullying itself. Platforms can be more likely to remove a bullying video if the child in it, or their parent, makes the report. Help the child block or mute those involved, and discourage retaliation.
If the platform doesn’t act: In the UK, Report Harmful Content provides reporting guidance and may be able to review an unsatisfactory platform response (although its capacity is limited). It does not handle sexual images of children, which should be reported through the specialist routes below.
Contact the school if pupils are involved: Schools have a responsibility to protect pupils from bullying, and the NSPCC is clear that this applies whether it happens at school, outside school or online. Much of this kind of bullying happens in private group chats, where platforms often can’t see the content unless someone reports it. Reporting within the app can still help, but the school is usually better placed to act by speaking to the pupils involved and, for non-sexual content, asking them to delete it and stop sharing. For sexual images, follow the advice of the safeguarding lead or police on deletion (see further below). Ask what action will be taken, who the child can approach during the day, and when you’ll review progress together. Use the school’s complaints procedure if the response is inadequate.
Avoid spreading it while seeking help: Don’t repost a fake to condemn it or circulate it in a parents’ group. Give relevant information privately to the people handling the incident.
Keep checking in: Removal of a post doesn’t necessarily stop comments in school or restore a child’s confidence. Ask about friendships and whether they feel safe, and help them continue activities they enjoy. If a child seems persistently low, anxious or withdrawn, or talks about harming themselves, seek support from their GP or the school, and call 999 if they are in immediate danger.

What if the image is sexual, or there are threats?

Any sexual image of a child needs a safeguarding response, including if it was made with AI or described as a joke. A child doesn’t need to have taken or shared an intimate photograph to be targeted, as ordinary photos can be manipulated into sexual abuse imagery.

If you are dealing with a sexual image of a child, don’t ask to see the image or create a copy. Don’t delete existing images or messages, or ask the child to delete them, before seeking advice from police or a safeguarding professional about preserving evidence and when to delete them.

Parents should inform the school’s safeguarding lead if pupils are involved and seek prompt police or child-protection advice. In the UK, call 101 for non-emergency police assistance, or 999 if someone is in immediate danger. Online sexual abuse or exploitation can also be reported to the CEOP Safety Centre (CEOP is not a general bullying-reporting service). Outside the UK, contact the equivalent local services and use your local emergency number if needed, asking for specific guidance on how to deal with the image.

In the UK, under-18s can use Report Remove, run by Childline with the Internet Watch Foundation, to report sexual images of themselves online. The service accepts AI-generated fakes and assesses them in the same way as real images. It cannot remove files from someone’s device or from encrypted chats such as WhatsApp, so further safeguarding action can still be needed.

If someone is demanding money or more images, don’t pay or send anything further. Seek police advice promptly about blackmail, threats of violence, or sexual exploitation. SAIFCA’s nudifying apps guide provides a fuller response plan.

What should schools do differently?

Schools should make sure their existing bullying and safeguarding procedures explicitly cover AI-generated content and impersonation. Staff need a clear reporting route, and pupils should know that creating or circulating humiliating material about someone else is unacceptable. Responses should be proportionate, distinguishing between pupils who created or deliberately spread the material and those who only received it, and combining any consequences with education about the harm caused and the law.

A recording or screenshot shouldn’t be treated as conclusive evidence of misconduct without considering whether it has been manipulated. Listen to the child’s account and investigate fairly. Don’t make support for a targeted pupil depend on their ability to prove that a convincing fake is false.

For sexual imagery, staff should report immediately to the designated safeguarding lead, the person responsible for coordinating child protection, or their equivalent. In England, UKCIS guidance (updated in 2024 to include AI-generated imagery) tells frontline staff not to investigate, view or copy the images, or ask a child to delete them. The safeguarding lead should manage the response under the relevant procedures.

What if your child made or shared it?

Take it seriously, including when they say it was a joke or they only forwarded someone else’s creation. Explain how their actions affected the other child, stop further sharing, and work with the school on appropriate consequences and putting things right. If sexual imagery is involved, seek safeguarding advice before taking action with the files.

In the UK, making, possessing, or sharing indecent photographs of under-18s is illegal, including AI-generated images that look like photographs. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, some non-photographic images can also be illegal. The legal guidance distinguishes these categories, but parents don’t need to worry about classifying an image before seeking help. These laws can apply when the person responsible is also a child.

Parents worried that their child has created or shared sexual images of another child can also seek confidential advice from the Stop It Now helpline on 0808 1000 900. This support should accompany the school’s safeguarding response or police involvement where needed.

The NSPCC recommends explaining clearly why the behaviour is unacceptable and continuing conversations about how children treat others. Find out whether peer pressure or bullying of your own child played a part, without using that to excuse the harm.

Helping children feel able to ask for help

Talk about these situations before they happen, including the fact that a photo or voice recording can be fabricated. Make it clear that children can ask for help even if they clicked something, shared a photo, or joined in before realising how serious it was.

It also helps to talk about what they could do if they see someone else being targeted. Children who witness this kind of bullying can help by refusing to share or react to humiliating posts, reporting what happened, and offering support privately. They don’t need to confront those responsible or collect copies of the material.

Children in the UK can contact Childline on 0800 1111 or online, and Childline’s website also has advice on reporting bullying.

Adults worried about a child can seek advice from the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, with phone lines open from 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, or by emailing help@nspcc.org.uk between 11am and 4pm, seven days a week (emails sent outside those hours aren’t received). Outside the UK, contact your local child helpline or child-protection service.

Families and schools can do a lot to support children, but they can’t control the tools available or remove every copy of an abusive image. AI developers and platforms need safeguards against impersonation and image abuse, with reporting systems that respond effectively when children are targeted.

SAIFCA’s children’s photos guidance explains how families and schools can reduce the public availability of images. Responsibility for misuse always lies with the person who creates or shares abusive content.

Homepage