'Sextortion' and ‘deep-fake’ – do your students know how to stay safe?
Two terms that we are becoming increasingly familiar with are ‘sextortion’ and ‘deep-fake’, and the two are not mutually exclusive. So, what exactly are these online dangers, and how can we help students recognise each and take steps to protect themselves?
The suggestions below give some pointers about what you might like to consider when planning your PSHE lessons, and of course, if you are looking for up-to-date, editable resources, backed by research, we're here to help!
- Include ‘sextortion’ in lessons you deliver on financial exploitation and child criminal exploitation. Knowledge is power!
- Provide essential tips on recognising the threats and where to report suspicious behaviour.
- Be clear about the potential danger of uploading images of themselves, partially clothed or naked. Most students DO NOT upload indecent photos. However, 3%, aged 11-14, and 13%, aged 14-16, report that they have uploaded an explicit image. (2023/24 Chameleon PDE survey n=11,000)
- Explain that even seemingly innocent images, e.g., a young person in their bedroom, can be altered and ‘deep-faked’ to produce pornographic material using the face and bedroom setting of the young person.
- Ensure that students know how to access support that will remove images from social media platforms should the worst happen. Childline offers this service.
- Regularly inform your students that no matter how terrible something appears, by talking to a trusted adult, they will get the help they need to get through the situation. Sadly, some young people both in the UK and in other parts of the world have taken their lives because of 'sextortion'.
- Inform your classes that ‘sextortion’ is often carried out by sophisticated criminal gangs located around the world. English-speaking children, particularly in the UK, North America and Australia, are frequently targeted.
- Combining ‘deep-fake’ techniques with ‘sextortion’ is likely to increase the prevalence of those targeted, so it’s more important than ever that students do not share information or images with people they don’t know in ‘real life’.
If you are a Chameleon PDE partner school, you have access to our newly updated ‘Financial Exploitation’ library pack. It includes over two hours of content, including a video-based activity on ‘sextortion.’ Combined with our up-to-date student data, this provides an excellent platform to launch meaningful knowledge input and discussion that will help students with the skills they need to stay vigilant and safer online.
Ofcom has some helpful information on deep-fake that is useful in getting up to speed on the dangers and how to mitigate them.
