02 Jul AI ‘nudify’ sites blocked in Australia after child safety crackdown
Three more AI-powered services that create sexually explicit fake images have withdrawn access for Australians following action by eSafety, as concern grows about the use of these tools by children and teens.
Australian families are already hearing a lot about children, social media and the coming under-16 social media ban. But another online safety issue is now firmly on the radar: AI-powered “nudify” services.
These websites and apps use artificial intelligence to generate fake sexualised images, often by altering an existing photo of a real person. While they may be marketed online as novelty tools, eSafety says they are increasingly being used to create degrading, abusive and non-consensual material, including content involving children.
The eSafety Commissioner has taken enforcement action against three more of these services, which were being widely accessed by Australians. One service had reportedly been receiving around 50,000 visits a month from Australia.
Following a formal Direction to Comply, the services have now withdrawn access for Australian users. Some landing pages may still appear, but content has been blurred and users can no longer log in or use the features.
Why eSafety is targeting these services
Under Australia’s Age-Restricted Material codes, online services that allow users to access or generate sexually explicit material must have appropriate age-assurance measures in place to help prevent children under 18 from using them.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said the services should not be viewed as harmless.
“These so-called ‘nudify’ services are not harmless tools and have absolutely no positive use case,” Ms Inman Grant said. “They are increasingly being used to generate degrading and abusive content, including sexual exploitation material involving children as we’ve seen time and time again in our schools.”
eSafety says recent cases involving AI-generated child sexual exploitation material have included school settings, where these tools can be used to target classmates or peers.
For parents and carers, this is a confronting but important issue. A child may not fully understand that creating, sharing or threatening to share a fake sexual image can cause serious harm and may also have legal consequences.
Age checks help, but they are not a complete fix
The services involved have indicated they will remain unavailable in Australia until they introduce appropriate age-assurance measures.
Ms Inman Grant said age assurance is not a “silver bullet”, but it is an important safeguard to help stop children accessing these services and reduce the creation of harmful, non-consensual material.
eSafety says the seven most widely used nudify services in Australia — previously visited hundreds of thousands of times a month — have now either withdrawn access or taken steps to comply with their obligations under the Online Safety Act.
The Australian Government has also announced its intention to legislate a ban on nudify services to prevent the non-consensual generation of sexually explicit material, including child sexual exploitation content.
eSafety has chosen not to name the services involved, to avoid drawing attention to them or making them easier to find. Childmags has also chosen not to identify or link to these services.
What parents can do now
Parents do not need to know the names of these services to talk to children about the issue. In fact, naming them may only increase curiosity.
Instead, it can help to have a calm, age-appropriate conversation about consent, images and AI. Children and teens need to know that taking someone’s photo, altering it sexually, sharing it, or using AI to humiliate someone is not a joke. It can deeply harm the person targeted and may have serious consequences.
Useful reminders for children and teens include:
- never upload someone else’s image into an app or website without permission
- never create, share or forward sexualised images of another person, even as a “joke”
- tell a trusted adult if they are sent an altered image or threatened with one
- report harmful content to the platform, school and eSafety where appropriate
It is also worth reminding children that “fake” does not mean harmless. An AI-generated image may not show something that really happened, but it can still damage someone’s reputation, friendships, confidence and sense of safety.
The broader debate about children’s online safety is often focused on social media age limits, but AI tools are now part of the same conversation. Children need guidance not just about what they view online, but about what technology allows them to create, share and misuse.
For families, the key message is simple: consent matters online, too. If a child is targeted, threatened or shown harmful AI-generated sexual content, they should be encouraged to seek help from a trusted adult, their school, the platform involved or eSafety.
eSafety has chosen not to name the services involved, to avoid drawing attention to them or making them easier to find. Childmags has also chosen not to identify or link to these services.
