Over Half of Deepfakes with Under-18 Victims Made by Classmates

Tokyo, Dec. 18 (Jiji Press)–More than half of cases reported to Japanese police of sexual deepfakes targeting those aged under 18 were created with the involvement of students from the same schools as the victims, National Police Agency data have shown. This is the first time that the NPA has released information on minors who became victims of sexual deepfakes, or obscene fake images created using generative artificial intelligence and other technologies. The agency plans to create flyers and warn against such use of AI at delinquency prevention lectures at schools and other events. According to the NPA, police were consulted over 79 cases of deepfakes targeting those up to the age of 17 from January to September this year. Of them, 41 cases involved junior high school students, 25 cases high school students and four cases elementary school children. Students from the same schools, such as classmates and senior students, were involved in 53.2 pct of the nine-month total. Images were confirmed to have been created using generative AI in 14 cases and with image-editing apps in two cases. Although the method used to make deepfakes could not be identified in the remaining cases, most are believed to be AI-generated. While the nine-month total did not rise sharply from 76 in the same period of 2024, the proportion of cases involving elementary and junior high school students increased, indicating a trend toward younger victims, supported by the spread of easy-to-use generative AI services. Authorities believe many cases remain unreported. Police are cracking down on perpetrators. The Kyoto prefectural police took an enforcement action against a man who posted fake images of a female high school student on social media, and referred to prosecutors the victim’s classmate who asked the man to create such images. In another case, a group of junior high school students were taken into protective custody by police after editing and sharing deepfake images generated with photographs from school events obtained from school tablet devices. According to the NPA, four people were arrested or referred to prosecutors and six minors were taken into custody in January-September for alleged defamation or displaying obscene electronic records. “Editing and posting sexual images is an unforgivable act that leaves victims with lasting scars,” an agency official said. “We urge people never to misuse AI this way. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]