We have become increasingly aware that there is a rise in parents and carers uploading photographs of their children into AI tools. Some common reasons behind this include enhancing image quality, removing imperfections, removing watermarks from school photographs and adding features i.e. backgrounds. While AI can offer genuine benefits, parents and carers need to be aware of the risks surrounding using children’s images in this way.
What Does AI Take from a Photograph?
When you upload an image to an online AI tool, you are essentially abiding by their terms and conditions of what that service can do with that image. While it may seem like they are just using it for the purposes of what you require, you may be handing over more than just a photograph. Depending on what tool you use, images can be:
Stored on cloud servers
Retained for long periods of time
Used to improve or train AI models
Parents and carers often have very little visibility over what happens to an image once it has been uploaded and while many AI tools offer privacy controls or customisable experiences with how data is handled, these settings vary significantly between platforms and are not always obvious or enabled by default.
What Are the Risks for Children and Young People?
AI can offer exciting opportunities and practical benefits, but children's images deserve more respect and consideration. Click below to understand what potential risks there are for children and young people.
Photographs can reveal more information than people realise, including:
- School uniforms (logos, branding)
- Locations (street signs, house numbers)
- Family members (connections, associations)
- When a photo was taken (metadata)
Some platforms may use uploaded content to develop or improve AI systems. Although many services now allow users to opt out, parents should always check privacy settings and terms of use before uploading any images.
As AI-generated imagery becomes increasingly sophisticated, there are growing concerns about children's images being manipulated or misused. Images shared online can potentially be copied, altered or repurposed without a family's knowledge or consent and then reshared across harmful online spaces.
What Parents and Carers Need to Do
Many parents use AI tools because they are convenient, quick to use and in some cases, free and can help save money. However, short-term convenience should be balanced against long-term considerations. Before uploading any image of a child, ask:
Will it be used for AI training?
Can I delete it later?
Does the image reveal any personal information?
Is what I’m doing legal? (Removing watermarks is illegal)
How to Stay Safe Using AI
Before uploading any photo into an AI tool, go through the following steps:
1. Review the platform's privacy policy
2. Check whether images are used for AI training
3. Explore opt-out settings
4. Avoid photographs showing school uniforms or locations
5. Remove metadata where possible
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