There is growing concern about photographs of children being taken from websites and social media and manipulated using artificial intelligence (AI) to create nude, sexualised, or abusive images.
The following guidance is aimed at parishes and for parents and carers whose children are involved in church activities.
Children and young people are at the heart of the Church’s ministry and mission, and it is important that we continue to show their participation in church life. However, we also need to recognise the emerging risks when photographs are made available online and help churches, parents, carers, and young people make informed choices about how images are used.
This guidance will be kept under review as national advice develops.
Last reviewed: September 2026
Helping families make an informed choice
We advise churches to clearly explain the risks of sharing photos and videos so that parents and carers can make informed choices about how images of their children are used.
When seeking consent for photographs which may be published publicly, churches should explain that:
- images published on public websites or social media can potentially be copied by anyone;
- developments in AI mean that ordinary photographs can be manipulated to create fake nude, sexual, or abusive imagery;
- privacy settings and other precautions can reduce the risk but cannot completely prevent an image being copied once it has been made publicly available; and
- parents and carers can choose not to have identifiable photographs of their child published.
Children and young people should also be involved in decisions about their photographs in a way appropriate to their age and understanding. Their wishes should be respected, including where they do not want a photograph taken or shared.
Reducing the risk
There is no single measure which can prevent an image published online from being copied or misused. However, there are practical steps churches can take to reduce the risk.
Use less identifiable photography
Churches can continue to show children and young people taking part in church life without always showing clearly identifiable faces.
Photographs might, for example, show children:
- from behind or over a shoulder;
- taking part in an activity without their face being the focus;
- as part of a wider group or scene;
- through close-ups of hands, crafts, games, worship, or other activities; or
- from angles which make individual children less identifiable.
This provides a practical alternative for parents and carers who are happy for their child to appear in church communications but do not want an identifiable photograph placed in the public domain.
It can also be a useful approach where individual consent for identifiable photographs has not been obtained, such as when taking general photographs during a Sunday service or large event.
See our examples of creative photography without identifiable faces.
Consider who needs to see the image
Not every photograph needs to be publicly available.
Before sharing an image, consider who it is intended for. Photographs intended mainly for children, parents, and families could, where appropriate, be shared through a closed group or other restricted channel rather than a public website or social media account.
Check the privacy settings on social media accounts and be clear about who can see and share content.
Use lower-resolution images online
Avoid uploading the original full-size photograph from a camera or phone to a public website.
Resize photographs for web use and upload only the size and resolution needed for the page. Lower-resolution images can reduce their usefulness for manipulation and are one of the measures recommended by the UK Safer Internet Centre.
This does not prevent an image from being copied or altered and should be used alongside the other measures in this guidance.
Remove unnecessary image data
Digital photographs can contain additional information, known as metadata or EXIF data. This may include when and where a photograph was taken and details about the device used.
Where possible, remove unnecessary metadata, particularly location information, before uploading photographs to websites.
Consider other identifying features
Identifiability is not only about whether a child’s face can be seen. Consider whether photographs or accompanying information reveal a child’s:
- full name;
- school or school uniform;
- name badge;
- regular location;
- activity timetable; or
- other information which could identify them or reveal where they are likely to be.
Avoid publishing more personal information than is necessary.
Remove images when they are no longer needed
Think about how long photographs need to remain publicly available. An image that was useful for promoting an event or telling a story at the time may not need to remain on a website or social media account indefinitely. Regularly reviewing and removing outdated images reduces the amount of material which remains publicly available.
Reviewing existing images
Parishes should periodically review photographs of children and young people which are already publicly available on their websites and social media accounts.
This does not need to become an exercise in removing every historic photograph of a child. Instead, consider whether particular images still need to be publicly available, particularly:
- clear, face-on or portrait-style photographs;
- images accompanied by identifying information;
- high-resolution photographs; or
- photographs of children who are no longer involved with the church.
Where appropriate, photographs can be archived, removed, replaced, cropped, or made less publicly accessible.
Facebook, Instagram, and other social platforms also provide controls which can restrict the audience for previous material or remove posts from public view.
Bear in mind that removing an image cannot guarantee that a copy has not already been made, but it can reduce its continuing availability.
Consent is an ongoing conversation
Parents and carers should be able to change their preferences about the use of photographs, and churches should make it straightforward for them to do so.
Consent should be reviewed regularly rather than assumed to apply indefinitely, particularly as children get older and technology and the associated risks change.
Where children and young people are old enough to understand the decision, they should be involved in decisions about their own images as well as their parent or carer.
Churches may therefore want to revisit the information they provide alongside photography and media consent forms.
You can find our diocesan consent forms and guidance on informed consent for the use of photographs, video, and audio recordings.
If an image is misused
If you become aware that an image of a child or young person connected with your church has been manipulated into nude, sexual, or otherwise abusive imagery, treat this as a safeguarding concern.
Do not download, copy, forward, or circulate the abusive image, and do not ask the child or young person to show it to you.
Inform your Parish Safeguarding Officer and incumbent and follow diocesan safeguarding procedures.
If a child is at immediate risk, call 999. Concerns about online child sexual abuse or exploitation should be reported to the police. Children, parents, carers, and professionals can also make a report through the NCA’s CEOP Safety Centre.
Avoid deleting information that may provide evidence, such as messages, usernames, account details, or web addresses. Seek advice from your safeguarding lead or the police about what should be preserved.
If the original photograph came from your church website or social media account, remove or restrict access to it.
Online child sexual abuse images and videos, including material created or altered using AI, can be reported to the Internet Watch Foundation.
Children and young people under 18 can also use Report Remove, provided by Childline and the Internet Watch Foundation, to report nude or sexual images or videos of themselves which are available online. This includes images which have been faked using AI.
Further guidance and information
For churches and people working with children and young people
UK Safer Internet Centre – Protecting your setting’s images from AI manipulation and abuse
Guidance for education settings and organisations working with children and young people. It includes practical advice on photography, consent, privacy, image resolution, metadata, reviewing images, and responding when an image is misused.
Internet Watch Foundation – guidance for professionals
Guidance developed with the National Crime Agency on understanding and responding to AI-generated child sexual abuse material, including reporting and safeguarding responses.
Diocese of York – Media consent
Diocesan consent forms and guidance on informed consent for the use of photographs, video, and audio.
For parents and carers
Internet Watch Foundation and National Crime Agency – Stopping AI Child Sexual Abuse Imagery: Advice for Parents and Carers
Practical information about how children’s ordinary photographs can be manipulated using AI, reviewing privacy settings and existing images, talking to children, image consent, and what to do if something goes wrong.
UK Safer Internet Centre
Advice and resources to help parents, carers, children, and professionals manage online risks.
Reporting and support
CEOP Safety Centre
Children and young people, parents and carers, and professionals can report concerns about online sexual abuse, exploitation, or grooming to the National Crime Agency’s CEOP Command.
Internet Watch Foundation
Child sexual abuse images and videos found online can be reported confidentially to the IWF. This includes AI-generated, animated, or manipulated child sexual abuse imagery.
Childline – Report Remove
A free service for children and young people under 18 who want to report and seek the removal of nude or sexual images or videos of themselves from the internet. Report Remove can also be used for images or videos which have been faked using AI.
Call 999 if a child is at immediate risk. Otherwise, suspected child sexual abuse or exploitation can be reported to the police through the usual non-emergency routes.