29 www.peicrimestoppers.com “ v” What is the risk with sexually explicit deepfakes? Deepfake imagery is increasingly being used to sexually exploit and harass people. Although the images or videos are fake, the harm to those victimized is very real. Sexually explicit material is often produced without consent of the person depicted. If the content is also made publicly available online, the embarrassment and distress for the person depicted in the fake content is amplified. Sexually explicit deepfakes are also used to trick youth into sending nudes or livestreaming sexual acts. Known as sextortion, boys are overwhelmingly extorted for money, and girls are more often extorted for more sexual images or videos.Whether it involves boys or girls, it is common for sextorters to threaten to use sexually explicit deepfakes to ruin their victims’ lives, saying they will share the deepfake with all the youth’s social media followers if they do not comply with their demands for money or new images. How serious can it be for someone who creates sexually explicit deepfakes? In Canada, sexually explicit material of a minor (under 18 years of age) with a focus or emphasis on the sexual organs or where they are engaged in sexually explicit activity is a criminal offence. This includes the depiction of a minor where the image has been altered using AI. How to talk with youth about deepfakes: 1. With a curiosity to understand what youth are encountering or have heard about AI, ask them what they know about it. Build on what they share to explain AI-generated content. 2. Ask how youth think deepfakes could be harmful and what the risks could be. Offer information about how sexually explicit deepfakes can be misused to harm youth and discuss the seriousness involved. 3. Talk about the real impacts on someone who is victimized by someone else creating a sexually explicit deepfake images or video of them - even though the content isn’t real. 4. Explain youths’ rights to safety, privacy, bodily autonomy, and sexual integrity. If someone violates their rights, share with them that you want to know so you can help them. Let them know you are in their corner and will be there to walk with them through tough situations. Go to needhelpnow.ca/en/#your-rights for more information. 5. Share services that can help if a sexually explicit deepfake has been created, such as: • Cybertip.ca • NeedHelpNow.ca • Your local Law enforcement 6.Youth benefit from opportunities to solve problems, practice decision making, and apply their learning to solving real challenges. Generate “what if” scenarios. Discuss how to deal with difficult situations online and practice possible answers to increase the likelihood they will be able to respond safely and tell someone if something concerning happens online. Ask things such as: o If someone created a sexually explicit photo of you using AI, who could you turn to for help? o If someone threatened to send out a sexually explicit photo of you (whether AI-generated or not) and demanded that you pay them money to stop, what would you do? o If a friend thought it was funny and wanted you to create AIgenerated pictures of someone else, what would you do? Why? o Report to Cybertip.ca if your youth is being targeted online. Online Sexual Violence Online sexual violence is unsolicited and unwanted sexual actions and behaviours directed towards youth online, and it is increasing in frequency and intensity. Over the past year, Cybertip.ca witnessed a 31% increase in the overall online victimization of children.1 Offenders are intensifying control tactics, increasing the use of humiliation, and utilizing multiple accounts to target youth. One of the most concerning trends is that in a lot of cases youth are not telling anyone what is going on. Many fear being victimblamed, are worried about letting the adults in their life down, or just don’t know who to turn to for help. This underscores the critical need to teach youth skills that help them navigate online situations safely and the information on where to go for help if someone is harming them online. Other emerging trends Cybertip.ca has noted are a 62% increase in sextortion incidents and a 55% increase of online luring incidents. What is Online Sexual Violence? Some examples of online sexual violence include: • Someone randomly sending youth sexual images (e.g., cyber flashing) and/or sexual messages online. o Girls in particular are increasingly experiencing cyber flashing on platforms such as Snapchat® and Instagram®. Unfortunately, this form of online sexual violence is becoming widely accepted as a “new norm.” • Unwanted and random requests for youth to send sexual images or videos from someone youth may or may not know. o Pressure and coercion tactics have become increasingly aggressive and are used by both adults and youth’s peers. o Sometimes a person will send an unwanted sexual image as a tactic to try and coerce/guilt youth into sending one back (e.g., “I’ll show you mine, you show me yours” mentality). o Even if the youth knows the person asking for sexual images or videos, images or videos sent under pressure are not considered to be consensual. • Recording youth without their knowledge, and forwarding/posting or threatening to forward, those sexual image or videos. Online sexual violence is VERY different from sharing intimate images within a consensual relationship. Online sexual violence is unwanted, unsolicited and aggressive. What can Parents do? It is important to be aware of the increasing nature of the online sexual violence youth are exposed to and/or dealing with. Have regular conversations with your teen to increase their awareness about safety concerns online. Listen to what they have to say about pressures teens are faced with and how they feel about it. Talk about the issues around sharing sexual images online, considering issues such as negotiating images in a consensual relationship, and when coercion is being used instead of consent. Please go to cybertip.ca for more infomation. Online Harms.....continued 1. November 2021 – October 2022 vs. November 2022 – October 2023 cybertip.ca
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