Schools across the UK are being urged to remove identifiable photos of pupils from websites and social media platforms amid growing fears that criminals are using artificial intelligence to create explicit fake images for blackmail purposes.
Child safety experts and the National Crime Agency have warned that offenders are increasingly exploiting publicly available school photographs to generate AI-manipulated child sexual abuse material and extort money from schools and families.
The warning follows a recent case involving a UK secondary school, where criminals allegedly used photographs taken from the school’s website or social media accounts to create explicit AI-generated images of pupils.
According to the Internet Watch Foundation, the offenders threatened to publish the manipulated images online unless a ransom was paid.
The organisation said around 150 of the generated images could potentially be classified as child sexual abuse material under UK law.
To prevent distribution, the IWF created digital “hashes” of the images, allowing major technology platforms to detect and block uploads automatically.
Experts say the incident highlights an emerging threat fuelled by advances in generative artificial intelligence.
Jess Phillips described the attempted blackmail of schools as a “deeply worrying emerging threat” and said the government would strengthen legislation if necessary.
She confirmed that ministers have already moved to ban possession of AI tools specifically designed to generate child sexual abuse material.
“We will not hesitate to go further if necessary and make sure our laws stay up to date with the latest threats,” she said.
The IWF stressed that the school incident was not isolated and warned that similar attempts involving manipulated school photographs have already been identified elsewhere in the UK.
The Early Warning Working Group, a UK advisory body focused on online harms, has issued new guidance recommending schools reduce or entirely avoid the use of recognisable pupil images online.
The group warned that photographs showing children face-on, alongside names or identifying information, can increase the risk of blackmail and exploitation.
Instead, schools are being encouraged to use images taken from a distance, blurred photographs, or pictures showing pupils from behind.
The guidance also suggests schools reconsider whether pupil images are necessary at all, arguing that achievements and school activities can still be celebrated without exposing children to unnecessary risk.
Additional recommendations include applying stricter privacy settings to school websites and social media pages, conducting regular audits of published images, and frequently updating parental consent agreements.
The warning comes amid a wider increase in sextortion offences linked to artificial intelligence.
Sextortion involves threatening victims with the release of intimate or manipulated images unless money or further material is provided.
Authorities say AI tools are making it easier for criminals to create realistic fake explicit images using ordinary photographs from social media or public websites.
The Report Remove said reports of sextortion involving under-18s continue to rise sharply.
Last year alone, the service received 394 reports from children who had been blackmailed after being manipulated into sending explicit images to predators — a 34 percent increase compared with the previous year.
The crime has also been linked to several tragic cases involving British teenagers who took their own lives after receiving online blackmail threats.
Investigators believe many sextortion operations are run by organised criminal groups based overseas, particularly in west Africa and Nigeria.
Some educational institutions have already started changing their policies in response to the growing threat from AI-generated abuse material.
Last year, the Loughborough Schools Foundation redesigned its website to remove recognisable photographs of pupils.
The Confederation of School Trusts said schools would carefully consider the new guidance while balancing the desire to celebrate pupils’ achievements with the need to protect children online.
Chief executive Leora Cruddas said it was deeply concerning that schools now had to consider the threat posed by online predators and scammers when sharing ordinary school activities and achievements.