Get help

Something happened? Start here.

Choose the situation below for clear next steps and the right people to contact.

If a child is in immediate danger, call 911. If your child is in emotional crisis, call or text 988, any time.

Someone is threatening to share an image

This is a form of online blackmail. The image may be real or AI-altered. Either way, it's a crime and it's not your child's fault (Thorn[1]).

  1. Stay calm and reassure. Say: “You're not in trouble. We'll handle this together.”
  2. Don't pay or send anything. Payments usually lead to more demands (Thorn[2]).
  3. Save evidence: screenshots of usernames, messages and profiles. Then block the account.
  4. Report to the NCMEC CyberTipline[3] or call 1-800-843-5678, and to the FBI[4].
  5. Get images removed with NCMEC's free Take It Down[5] tool, for images of anyone under 18.

A fake image of my child is going around school

  1. Believe and support your child. Deepfakes can cause serious emotional harm (APA[6]).
  2. Save evidence before anything is deleted.
  3. Report it to the app or platform and to the school.
  4. If the image is inappropriate, use Take It Down[5] and report to the CyberTipline[3]. Laws on AI-altered images are changing; see the AAP's overview[7].
  5. Check in on how your child feels over the next weeks, and contact your pediatrician if you're worried.

A call sounded like my child (or me) in trouble

  1. Hang up and call the person back on a number you know (FBI advice[8]).
  2. Ask for your family safe word.
  3. Never send wire transfers, gift cards, payment-app money or crypto under pressure.
  4. Report it to the FBI's IC3[9].

I found a worrying chatbot conversation

  1. Stay calm and curious, not angry. Ask what the chats mean to them.
  2. If your child seems at risk or in crisis, call or text 988[10] and contact your pediatrician or a counselor. Chatbots are not a substitute for real help (APA[6]).
  3. Watch for secrecy, withdrawal and strong emotional reactions tied to the chats (Penn State Extension[11]).
  4. Report harmful bot behavior to the app, and review parental controls together.
  5. Talk to your pediatrician. The AAP[12] has guidance for doctors counseling families on chatbot use.

Hotlines to save in your phone

  • Emergency: 911
  • 988 Lifeline (emotional crisis): call or text 988
  • NCMEC CyberTipline: 1-800-843-5678 · report.cybertip.org
  • Take It Down: takeitdown.ncmec.org
  • FBI tips: tips.fbi.gov · Scams: ic3.gov
  • In the UK: Childline 0800 1111 · NSPCC helpline 0808 800 5000 (NSPCC[13])

References

AI-OK? summarizes these sources in our own words and links to the originals. Short quotes are marked with quotation marks, and some titles are described in [brackets]. All credit for original research and guidance belongs to the authors below.

  1. Thorn. [Guidance for young people facing online image threats]. www.thorn.org (link). Accessed October 4, 2026.
  2. Thorn. (2024, September 26). Will I be believed? [How deepfakes add to young people's fears about online blackmail]. www.thorn.org (link). Accessed October 4, 2026.
  3. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. CyberTipline. https://report.cybertip.org/. Accessed October 4, 2026.
  4. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Submit a tip. https://tips.fbi.gov/. Accessed October 4, 2026.
  5. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Take It Down. https://takeitdown.ncmec.org/. Accessed October 4, 2026.
  6. American Psychological Association. (2025, June). Artificial intelligence and adolescent well-being: An APA health advisory. https://www.apa.org/topics/artificial-intelligence-machine-learning/health-advisory-ai-adolescent-well-being.pdf. Accessed October 4, 2026.
  7. American Academy of Pediatrics. [Q&A on laws and policies around AI-generated deepfakes]. www.aap.org (link). Accessed October 4, 2026.
  8. KPRC Click2Houston. (2026, June 2). FBI warns of AI voice-cloning scam that mimics loved ones in distress. https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/02/fbi-warns-of-ai-voice-cloning-scam-that-mimics-loved-ones-in-distress/. Accessed October 4, 2026.
  9. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). https://www.ic3.gov/. Accessed October 4, 2026.
  10. 988 Lifeline. https://988lifeline.org/. Accessed October 4, 2026.
  11. Wolbert, E. D., Rudy, T. L., & Perkins, D. F. (2026, March 18). AI chatbots and children's digital safety. Penn State Extension. https://extension.psu.edu/ai-chatbots-and-childrens-digital-safety. Accessed October 4, 2026.
  12. American Academy of Pediatrics. Counseling patients and families on using AI chatbots. https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/media-and-children/center-of-excellence-on-social-media-and-youth-mental-health/qa-portal/qa-portal-library/qa-portal-library-questions/counseling-patients-and-families-on-using-ai-chatbots/. Accessed October 4, 2026.
  13. NSPCC. (2025). Artificial intelligence: safety tips for parents. https://www.nspcc.org.uk/about-us/news-opinion/2025/artificial-intelligence-safety-tips-for-parents/. Accessed October 4, 2026.