AI Threatens Children’s Innocence

Artificial Intelligence’s ability to generate images from text prompts or manipulate existing photos has been misused to create sexualized depictions of minors. Research shows a dramatic surge in AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery, with 245 reports processed in the UK in 2024 that stemmed from AI-made illegal images, up 380% from the prior year. Many of these images were judged to be real enough to be treated as criminal content. 

In another alarming trend, a recent study found that AI tools like Grok have been used to produce sexualized images at an astonishing scale, an estimated 3 million sexualized images in 11 days, including around 23,000 that appeared to involve minors.  These numbers suggest that when AI is left unchecked, the generation of harmful content happens with shocking speed.

Just on the dark web alone, investigators have documented over 20,000 AI-generated child sexual abuse images in a single month, often depicting criminal activity. 

Children, Families, and the Real World Harm

Predators argue that AI-generated images are merely “virtual” and therefore less harmful than real abuse. But this is a dangerous misconception. Federal law treats any visual depiction of minors in sexually explicit conduct as illegal, regardless of whether the child pictured ever existed in real life. 

Child safety experts emphasize that having one’s likeness used in sexually explicit AI content can psychologically traumatize children and their families, even if the depiction is synthetic. The humiliation, invasion of privacy, and ongoing fear that such material could circulate indefinitely can result in shame, depression, withdrawal, and long-term emotional distress. 

Moreover, AI-generated content complicates law enforcement’s work, making it harder to identify true victims of abuse in the vast sea of digital material. Deepfake child sexual abuse material clogs investigative systems and diverts resources away from finding and rescuing children who are genuinely at risk. 

Texas and the Nation Are Waking Up to the Danger

The international spotlight on platforms like Grok shows governments and regulators recognize the growing threat. The European Union has launched an official investigation into Elon Musk’s AI chatbot over its production of sexually explicit AI images, including those depicting children, and is evaluating whether platforms are doing enough to safeguard users. 

In the United States, multiple state attorneys general have demanded answers from AI companies on how they plan to prevent the generation and spread of abusive AI content.  Meanwhile, 45 states have enacted laws criminalizing AI-generated child sexual abuse material, reflecting a broad legislative consensus that technology must be regulated to protect children. 

What This Means for Texas Families

At its heart, this issue is about protecting Texas’ children, and safeguarding their safety, dignity, and future. Families should not have to worry that a simple photo of their child posted online could be used by a stranger to create a damaging and illegal image. That is precisely the reality we now face with AI tools that operate with minimal oversight and sometimes without adequate safeguards.

Technology policy in Texas must catch up to this threat. We need:

• Stronger state laws explicitly banning the creation, possession, or distribution of AI-generated sexualized depictions of minors with clear penalties.

• Robust age-verification and content monitoring requirements for platforms offering AI image generation.

• Support for law enforcement and child protection agencies to enhance the detection and prosecution of AI-related child sexual abuse material.

• Parents and families need to become aware and educated about how to protect children’s images online and recognize the risks.

  
  

AI can be a force for good. But when misused to produce illegal content involving children, it becomes a tool of exploitation that demands decisive action from parents, lawmakers, technology companies, and every Texan who believes in protecting childhood.

Texas must lead the way in defending our children from digital threats before more innocent lives are harmed.