Protecting your daughter from deepfakes and online abuse

Most of america person astatine slightest 1 young pistillate successful our lives that we cherish — a daughter, niece oregon goddaughter, for example. Well, this International Women’s Day, I learned thing that should beryllium concerning to america all. Fully 96% of each deepfakes — artificial intelligence-generated images and videos that usage someone’s likeness — are pornographic and people women without their consent.  

One well-known lawsuit progressive an Australian instrumentality pupil who discovered that manipulated pornographic images of her were being shared online erstwhile she was conscionable 18. But this isn’t an isolated incident. According to a recent survey of women successful the U.S., AI deepfakes are among the types of online maltreatment that a important fig of women look contempt being a comparatively caller technology.

But this isn’t the lone benignant of online maltreatment women face. 

According to the aforesaid survey, 1 successful 4 women successful the U.S. accidental they’ve experienced online abuse, including cyberbullying, doxxing, intersexual harassment, trolling and AI deepfakes. And young women betwixt the ages of 18 and 34 look to acquisition overmuch higher rates of online maltreatment than older generations.

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A pistillate with her girl moving connected a laptop  (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

Why are younger women astatine higher risk?

It astir apt has a batch to bash with however overmuch clip younger radical walk online. Research shows, to nary one’s surprise, that younger generations usage societal media doubly arsenic overmuch arsenic older generations (80% versus 42%, respectively). However, it besides indicates that women usage it much than men.  

Data privateness besides plays a role. A caller survey showed younger generations are mostly little acrophobic astir keeping their idiosyncratic accusation backstage compared to older generations. Growing up successful a digital-first world, galore younger radical look to beryllium desensitized to information postulation and are much consenting to stock idiosyncratic accusation online. That, successful turn, puts them astatine higher hazard of cybercrimes and abuse.

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So, what tin you bash to help?

If you are acrophobic astir this, and you should be, determination are respective steps you tin instrumentality to support your pistillate loved ones from online maltreatment and empower them to navigate the integer satellite safely.

A pistillate moving connected her laptop  (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

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1. Talk to them astir online privacy

We unrecorded successful a satellite wherever radical perpetually stock thoughts, pictures and videos. Telling a 22-year-old to halt posting online altogether astir apt won’t get you far, but encouraging them to bounds who tin spot their accusation is simply a tenable compromise. Here are immoderate things you tin discuss:

• Setting societal media profiles to "private" truthful photos, videos and idiosyncratic details aren’t easy accessible to strangers.
• Being selective astir who they judge arsenic friends and followers.
• How societal media platforms are designed to be addictive. The changeless validation from likes and comments — particularly from strangers — tin marque young women much susceptible to online predators and cyberbullies. ("The Social Dilemma" documentary provides an in-depth look astatine however platforms exploit these behaviors.)

2. Remove idiosyncratic accusation from the net (especially radical hunt sites)

In the survey exploring the experiences of women successful the U.S. with online abuse, 65% of respondents said they’ve been negatively affected by having their idiosyncratic accusation online. Why? Because online bullies, stalkers and scammers usage publically disposable accusation to people victims. But women tin trim the hazard of online maltreatment by removing idiosyncratic information from the internet:

• Searching their sanction connected Google and identifying which sites person their idiosyncratic data.
• Opting out of radical hunt websites, which often database names, addresses, telephone numbers and adjacent relatives.
• Using a personal information removal service to automate the process and support their accusation disconnected these databases successful the agelong term. While nary work promises to region each your information from the internet, having a removal work is large if you privation to perpetually show and automate the process of removing your accusation from hundreds of sites continuously implicit a longer play of time. Check retired my apical picks for information removal services here. 

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3. Make definite they person enactment and resources

Even with the champion precautions, online maltreatment tin inactive happen. If you person 4 young pistillate relatives oregon friends aged 7-21, statistically, it's apt that 3 of them person faced immoderate signifier of online harm successful the past year. One of the astir almighty things you tin bash is fto them cognize they person idiosyncratic to crook to. Online abuse, peculiarly deepfake pornography and revenge porn, is often designed to humiliate, isolate and soundlessness victims. Knowing they person enactment tin assistance them regain power and combat back. If idiosyncratic you emotion is dealing with online abuse, present are immoderate captious resources:

• Cyber Civil Rights Initiative (for victims of deepfake and revenge porn): The Cyber Civil Rights Initiative provides ineligible and affectional enactment to victims of deepfake and revenge porn, helping them navigate the analyzable process of removing unauthorized images and seeking justice.
• Crisis Text Line: By texting HOME to 741741, individuals tin link with trained situation counselors who connection contiguous affectional enactment and guidance during moments of crisis, helping them negociate overwhelming emotions and find calm.
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Calling oregon texting 988 connects individuals with trained situation counselors who supply contiguous enactment for suicidal thoughts, intelligence wellness crises oregon different forms of affectional distress, offering a lifeline to those successful urgent need.

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Women moving connected their laptops  (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

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4. Teach integer literacy and captious thinking

Encourage young women successful your beingness to question what they spot online and make a steadfast skepticism. Teach them however to spot misinformation, admit potential scams and recognize the value of fact-checking.

5. Discuss the value of strong, unsocial passwords

Explain the risks of utilizing anemic oregon repeated passwords crossed aggregate accounts. Encourage the usage of password managers and two-factor authentication for added security. Get much details astir my best expert-reviewed Password Managers of 2025 here.

6. Promote a steadfast equilibrium betwixt online and offline activities

Encourage them to prosecute successful offline hobbies and societal activities. This tin assistance trim surface clip and lessen the interaction of imaginable online negativity. 

7. Stay informed astir existent online trends and threats

Keep yourself updated connected the latest societal media platforms, apps and online trends fashionable among young people. This cognition volition assistance you person much informed conversations with your granddaughters astir online safety. One large mode to bash this is to subscribe to sign up for Kurt’s The CyberGuy Report now. 

8. Encourage unfastened connection astir online experiences

Create a judgment-free situation wherever they consciousness comfy discussing their online experiences, some affirmative and negative. This unfastened dialog tin assistance you place imaginable issues aboriginal on.

9. Have them see a beardown antivirus software

With each the clicking young women bash online, it's important to support their devices from malware, viruses and different cyber threats. Strong antivirus bundle acts arsenic a integer shield, safeguarding against imaginable infections that could compromise idiosyncratic information oregon instrumentality security.

The champion mode to safeguard against malicious links that instal malware, perchance accessing your backstage information, is to person beardown antivirus bundle installed connected each your devices. This extortion tin besides alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your idiosyncratic accusation and integer assets safe. Get my picks for the champion 2025 antivirus extortion winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices. 

Kurt's cardinal takeaways

Online maltreatment is simply a superior contented that disproportionately affects young women. By taking proactive steps to educate, support and empower the women successful our lives, we tin make a safer integer situation for them. Let's enactment unneurotic to foster a civilization of online safety, ensuring that young women tin thrive online without fearfulness of harassment and abuse. Remember, a safer net for women means a safer net for everyone.

What are your biggest fears oregon concerns astir the integer satellite arsenic it relates to the information and well-being of the young women successful your life? Let america cognize by penning america at Cyberguy.com/Contact

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