Parents used to weigh whether a cute photo, a milestone video or a birthday album was worth sharing with relatives and friends. Today, the calculus has shifted because new artificial intelligence tools can take any uploaded face and instantly create convincing sexualized images or nudes — a threat that makes posting children’s photos online far riskier than many realise. The recent reporting on AI “nudifier” apps describes easy, inexpensive services that can turn an ordinary portrait into nonconsensual pornographic imagery, fueling calls for parents to reconsider sharenting and for policymakers to act quickly to protect children. ( (Why A.I. Should Make Parents Rethink Posting Photos of Their Children Online](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/11/technology/personaltech/ai-kids-photos.html)).
The issue matters in Thailand because family photos are central to Thai life and social rituals. Parents share images to announce births, celebrate Songkran and Loy Krathong gatherings, and maintain bonds across extended families — practices rooted in Buddhist family values and respect for elders. But the same images can be harvested or photographed and then weaponised by generative AI, exposing children to humiliation, blackmail, identity theft and long-term psychological harm. Recent investigations and academic reporting show AI systems are already being trained on real images of children and that commercial “nudifier” sites are accessible globally, making the risk immediate for Thai families as well as those abroad. ( (Why A.I. Should Make Parents Rethink Posting Photos of Their Children Online](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/11/technology/personaltech/ai-kids-photos.html)); ( (AI Tools Are Secretly Training on Real Images of Children’s Faces](https://www.wired.com/story/ai-tools-are-secretly-training-on-real-childrens-faces/)).
Key facts to understand right now include how nudifier apps work, how widespread the problem has become, what legal protections exist, and what practical steps parents in Thailand can take. Nudifier services typically require a single photo upload and then use generative models to synthesize nude or sexual images that appear to show the person in the photo. Investigators who examined marketplaces of these apps found dozens of sites offering free trials and subscriptions, producing revenue in the millions; for victims, the availability of such fakes has been devastating in schools and communities. ( (Why A.I. Should Make Parents Rethink Posting Photos of Their Children Online](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/11/technology/personaltech/ai-kids-photos.html)).
The problem is not limited to a few bad actors. Reporting and research have shown that major image datasets and public internet images have been used — sometimes without consent — to train models that fuel generative AI, including systems that easily generate photorealistic manipulations. Human-rights and investigative outlets have documented cases in which children’s images, collected online, ended up being repurposed inside AI tools. Those findings make clear that a child’s publicly posted photos can circulate beyond the original audience and be used to train or prompt image-generation systems. ( (AI Tools Are Secretly Training on Real Images of Children’s Faces](https://www.wired.com/story/ai-tools-are-secretly-training-on-real-childrens-faces/)); ( (AI trained on photos from kids’ entire childhood without their consent](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/06/ai-trained-on-photos-from-kids-entire-childhood-without-their-consent/)).
Lawmakers in some countries have moved to curb the harms of nonconsensual deepfakes. In the United States, Congress passed and the president signed legislation criminalising the publication of nonconsensual sexually explicit deepfakes and revenge porn, requiring platforms to take down such content. But those laws usually target distribution rather than the sale or operation of the apps that create the images, leaving enforcement gaps because many app developers operate overseas. Platform-level ad bans and voluntary industry coalitions have helped restrict some advertising, but they do not stop someone from visiting a web-based nudifier or paying for image creation directly. ( (Trump signs Take It Down Act, criminalizing deepfake and revenge porn](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/19/trump-signs-take-it-down-act-criminalizing-deepfake-and-revenge-porn-00357151)); ( (Why A.I. Should Make Parents Rethink Posting Photos of Their Children Online](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/11/technology/personaltech/ai-kids-photos.html)).
Experts quoted in recent reporting emphasise how fast the threat has spread among minors. A technology investigator who analysed dozens of nudifier websites warned that “any kid with access to the internet can both be a victim or a perpetrator,” and child-safety advocates told reporters that creating fake nudes has become commonplace among schoolchildren in some communities. Educators and administrators report incidents where fabricated images were circulated among students, causing immediate trauma and long-term reputational damage. Those front-line observations line up with research on online harms and with calls from child welfare groups for stronger safeguards. ( (Why A.I. Should Make Parents Rethink Posting Photos of Their Children Online](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/11/technology/personaltech/ai-kids-photos.html)).
Beyond the risk of AI-manufactured sexual images, posting a child’s photos can expose sensitive personal data. Birthday posts often reveal exact birth dates and locations, which can be combined with leaked or breached datasets to commit identity theft. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has documented substantial numbers of identity-theft reports and warned that minors’ identities are increasingly targeted; parents are advised to consider protective steps such as credit freezes where available. In Thailand, digital privacy rules under the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) and child-protection laws provide a legal backdrop, but enforcement and public awareness vary across sectors. Thai rights bodies have asked platforms and regulators to create clearer guidelines for children’s online content, reflecting growing local concern about these global AI risks. ( (New FTC Data Show a Big Jump in Reported Losses to Fraud in 2024](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/03/new-ftc-data-show-big-jump-reported-losses-fraud-125-billion-2024)); ( (Protecting children on social media - TDRI: Thailand Development Research Institute](https://tdri.or.th/en/2022/11/protecting-children-on-social-media/)); ( (National Human Rights Commission wants guidelines to be set out for online child content](https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/3001574/national-human-rights-commission-wants-guidelines-to-be-set-out-for-online-child-content)).
How should parents respond? Experts and child-safety advocates offer practical advice that can reduce risk without cutting off family life. First, consider the choice to avoid posting identifying photos of children online at all, especially for infants and young children who cannot consent. If parents do share images, restrict visibility to a very small, vetted circle — though even private accounts are not foolproof because followers may be perpetrators or private accounts can be scraped. Encrypted direct messages and private family albums hosted on trusted services provide safer alternatives. For example, sending photos via encrypted messaging or using family-sharing features on devices reduces exposure. Official guidance from child-safety organisations and data-protection bodies also recommends avoiding captions that reveal full names, dates of birth, school names, home addresses or other identifying details. ( (Why A.I. Should Make Parents Rethink Posting Photos of Their Children Online](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/11/technology/personaltech/ai-kids-photos.html)); ( (What you need to know about “sharenting” | UNICEF Parenting](https://www.unicef.org/parenting/child-care/sharenting)); ( (Sharing photos and videos of your child on social networks: what risks - CNIL](https://www.cnil.fr/en/sharing-photos-and-videos-your-child-social-networks-what-risks)).
Schools and communities must also play a role. Educators should include digital-safety lessons that explain how easy it is to manipulate images and why consent matters, and school policies should explicitly ban the creation and circulation of AI-generated sexual content. Platforms and app stores must enforce advertising bans and remove developer accounts that facilitate mass production of exploitative tools, but governments will likely need cross-border cooperation to police operators who host services offshore. Child-protection NGOs call for a combination of criminal law, platform accountability and public education to close the enforcement gap exposed by the globalised nature of online services. ( (Why A.I. Should Make Parents Rethink Posting Photos of Their Children Online](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/11/technology/personaltech/ai-kids-photos.html)); ( (AI trained on photos from kids’ entire childhood without their consent](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/06/ai-trained-on-photos-from-kids-entire-childhood-without-their-consent/)).
For Thai policymakers, the priorities should include clearer guidelines to protect children online, stronger enforcement of PDPA principles when platforms process minors’ images, and school-level protocols that recognise AI-generated imagery as a form of sexual exploitation. Thailand’s National Human Rights Commission has already urged guidelines for online child content, reflecting rising concern about such harms. Any Thai policy response should also consider cultural norms: recommendations that respect family-oriented sharing while safeguarding children’s dignity and long-term welfare are more likely to gain public acceptance. ( (National Human Rights Commission wants guidelines to be set out for online child content](https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/3001574/national-human-rights-commission-wants-guidelines-to-be-set-out-for-online-child-content)).
Parents and guardians in Thailand can take concrete steps today. Think twice before posting: ask whether a photo reveals a child’s location, school, birthday or other identifiers. Use the smallest possible audience — for example, encrypted messaging to close relatives rather than public social feeds. Avoid tagging locations, schools or full names. Teach children, in age-appropriate ways, about consent and what to do if someone shares or pressures them to share images. Keep software and privacy settings updated and report abusive content to platforms and local authorities. If a child’s image is used in an exploitative AI image, preserve evidence, report it to the platform immediately and contact local law enforcement; many jurisdictions also have hotlines and NGOs that assist victims. ( (Why A.I. Should Make Parents Rethink Posting Photos of Their Children Online](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/11/technology/personaltech/ai-kids-photos.html)); ( (What you need to know about “sharenting” | UNICEF Parenting](https://www.unicef.org/parenting/child-care/sharenting)); ( (Privacy and your child - eSafety Commissioner](https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/issues-and-advice/privacy-child)).
There are trade-offs. Sharing photos helps keep families connected, supports cultural rituals and creates memories that many parents cherish. For many Thai families, public sharing is also a way to show respect to relatives who cannot attend celebrations. But given the new tools that can weaponise a single image, families should weigh immediate social benefits against potential lifelong harms. In the Thai cultural context, protecting a child’s dignity and future prospects aligns with the wider social responsibility emphasised by Buddhist ethics and community-centred parenting. Framing precautionary sharing as protecting the child’s future — rather than as a refusal to participate in family life — may be the most culturally resonant message. ( (Why A.I. Should Make Parents Rethink Posting Photos of Their Children Online](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/11/technology/personaltech/ai-kids-photos.html)).
Looking ahead, expect a mix of legal, technological and social responses. Governments may propose tighter rules on the sale or distribution of image-manipulation tools, platforms will refine detection and takedown processes, and education systems will broaden digital-citizenship curricula. Yet enforcement will remain challenging as long as app operators can host services beyond national reach and as generative models become easier to run locally. That means the most immediate and effective protection will continue to be parental discretion combined with stronger digital literacy for children and caregivers. ( (Trump signs Take It Down Act, criminalizing deepfake and revenge porn](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/19/trump-signs-take-it-down-act-criminalizing-deepfake-and-revenge-porn-00357151)); ( (AI Tools Are Secretly Training on Real Images of Children’s Faces](https://www.wired.com/story/ai-tools-are-secretly-training-on-real-childrens-faces/)).
In sum, parents in Thailand and elsewhere should treat posting children’s photos as a deliberate, informed choice rather than an automatic social ritual. Practical steps — using private, encrypted sharing; removing identifying information; educating children about consent; and working with schools to prevent and respond to AI-generated abuse — can substantially reduce risk. Policymakers should prioritise guidelines tailored to Thailand’s legal framework and cultural values, while platforms and international partners work to limit the proliferation of tools that make exploitation simple. The digital age still allows families to celebrate milestones while protecting children’s dignity; the key is choosing privacy-minded ways to preserve memories without exposing young people to unnecessary, lasting harm. ( (Why A.I. Should Make Parents Rethink Posting Photos of Their Children Online](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/11/technology/personaltech/ai-kids-photos.html)); ( (What you need to know about “sharenting” | UNICEF Parenting](https://www.unicef.org/parenting/child-care/sharenting)).