CONTENT WARNING: We’re diving into the tough but important topic of parenting in an AI-shaped world, and while younger kids probably shouldn’t listen in, this could be a great conversation to share with your middle or high schoolers so it feels more like learning together than an interrogation. My hope is that this equips you to parent well as we raise kids in a world shaped by AI.
Today we continue our conversation on parenting AI with a look at deepfakes and s**tortion. These are big topics that have an outsized impact on children. We need to know what they are, how they happen, and what to do if our child is targeted. The goal is to be a present, and informed, parent so that your children they need to grow.
Special thanks to George Fox University for sponsoring the Gospel Tech Podcast!
SHOW NOTES
NEA research on deepfakes and teens: https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/ai-deepfakes-disturbing-trend-school-cyberbullying
Common Sense Media AI Risk Assessment: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/ai-ratings/social-ai-companions?gate=riskassessment
Elon Musk telling everyone Grok can be used to nudify: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/22/technology/grok-x-ai-elon-musk-deepfakes.html
Some tragic examples of sextortion in the US in the recent past:
- https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/sextortion-case-highlights-growing-online-crime-111020
- https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdin/pr/fbi-and-partners-issue-national-public-safety-alert-sextortion-schemes – 3,000 minors in 2022. With deepfake nudes we know that 1/6 don’t ever report. The number could be just as high with this.
- https://www.thorn.org/press-releases/report-1-in-10-minors-say-peers-have-used-ai-to-generate-nudes-of-other-kids/
- https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/teen-dies-just-3-hours-after-being-targeted-in-alleged-sextortion-scam/news-story/6c75e3676f7f1a6a0151dbd9ae95760e
- https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2025/02/25/teenage-boys-mental-health-suicide-sextortion-scams/78258882007/
- https://abcnews.go.com/US/death-kentucky-teen-sparks-investigation-sextortion-scheme/story?id=119709205
- https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/20/us/ryan-last-suicide-sextortion-california/
- https://www.pennlive.com/crime/2025/01/13-year-olds-shooting-death-ruled-a-homicide-family-says-son-was-a-victim-of-sextortion.html?utm_campaign=pennlive_sf&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter
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