A few years ago, if someone wanted to create a realistic nude image of a student, they generally needed an actual photograph.
Today, a yearbook photo, an Instagram post, or a picture from a school sports website may be enough.
Artificial intelligence has made it possible to create realistic sexual images depicting people who never posed for those images and never consented to their creation. What once required sophisticated technical skills can now be accomplished in minutes using widely available applications.
For many parents, this technology feels abstract until it affects their own child.
Across the country, schools are confronting incidents involving AI-generated nude images, sexually explicit deepfakes, and image-based abuse targeting students. Colorado schools are not immune. As these incidents become more common, parents are increasingly asking the same questions:
What exactly is a deepfake?
What happens if someone creates a fake nude image of my child?
What is the school’s responsibility?
And what legal protections exist in Colorado?
These are no longer hypothetical questions. They are questions families are facing right now.
What Are Deepfakes and Why Are Schools Seeing More of Them?
A deepfake is an image, video, or audio recording that has been created or manipulated using artificial intelligence.
In schools, the most common concern involves AI-generated nude or sexually explicit images. A student takes an ordinary photograph of a classmate—or finds one online—and uploads it into an AI tool capable of generating sexual imagery. The resulting image can then be shared through text messages, Snapchat, Instagram, Discord, or group chats.
What makes these incidents particularly concerning is how easy the technology has become to use.
Students no longer need advanced computer skills. Many AI image-generation tools are inexpensive, widely available, and marketed directly to consumers. A student can create a convincing image in a matter of minutes.
School districts throughout the country have reported incidents involving AI-generated nude images of students. One of the most widely publicized examples occurred in Westfield, New Jersey, where students allegedly created and circulated AI-generated nude images of female classmates. Similar incidents have been reported in California, Washington, Pennsylvania, Florida, and other states.
These incidents are likely only the beginning.
The Harm Is Real Even When the Image Is Fake
One of the most common misconceptions surrounding deepfakes is that they are somehow less serious because the image itself is fabricated.
Parents often hear some version of:
“It wasn’t a real photo.”
Legally and emotionally, that is often beside the point.
When a sexually explicit deepfake begins circulating among classmates, the student depicted in the image may experience many of the same harms that occur when authentic intimate images are distributed without consent.
The student may become the subject of rumors and gossip. Classmates may believe the image is real. Friends may distance themselves. Students may face bullying, harassment, and humiliation both online and at school.
The effects can include:
- Anxiety and depression;
- Social isolation;
- Damage to friendships and relationships;
- Withdrawal from extracurricular activities;
- Difficulty concentrating in school;
- School avoidance; and
- Fear that the image will continue resurfacing.
For a teenager, the distinction between a real nude image and a realistic fake one often provides little comfort if classmates believe the image is authentic.
The emotional impact can be significant regardless of whether the depicted conduct ever occurred.
Why Deepfakes Raise Serious Concerns Under Title IX
Many parents are surprised to learn that a deepfake incident may implicate Title IX.
Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded educational programs and activities. Schools have obligations to address sex-based harassment that interferes with a student’s ability to participate in educational opportunities.
When a student becomes the target of a sexually explicit deepfake, the image itself is often only part of the problem.
What follows may include:
- Harassment by classmates;
- Sexual rumors;
- Humiliation;
- Retaliation;
- Online abuse; and
- Exclusion from school activities.
Even if the image is fabricated, the resulting conduct may create a hostile educational environment.
This is an important point for families to understand.
Schools should not automatically dismiss a complaint simply because the image is fake. The relevant question is often whether the conduct has affected the student’s educational experience and whether the school has obligations to respond.
Depending on the circumstances, a school’s response may include an investigation, supportive measures, safety planning, academic accommodations, or other interventions designed to address the harm.
Colorado Law Is Beginning to Catch Up
Like many states, Colorado is grappling with how to address harms created by artificial intelligence.
Historically, laws governing intimate images focused on actual photographs and videos. Generative AI has complicated that framework by allowing individuals to create realistic sexual imagery that does not depict a real event but can still cause substantial harm.
Colorado lawmakers have increasingly recognized this problem.
In 2025, Colorado enacted SB25-288, legislation addressing intimate digital depictions and expanding protections related to image-based abuse. The legislation reflects a growing recognition that technology has created new forms of exploitation that existing laws did not fully contemplate.
For families, this is an important development.
It signals that Colorado lawmakers understand what many students and parents already know: AI-generated sexual imagery can be deeply harmful even when the underlying image is fabricated.
Schools, parents, and students should not assume that a deepfake is simply a prank or harmless misuse of technology. Depending on the circumstances, these incidents may have consequences that extend beyond school discipline.
Federal Law Is Also Evolving
Recent federal legislation reflects a similar trend.
The law requires covered online platforms to establish procedures for reporting qualifying content and to remove qualifying material after receiving valid requests.
The Federal Trade Commission began enforcing the law in 2026 and launched TakeItDown.ftc.gov, which allows individuals to report platforms that fail to comply with the law’s requirements.
For parents, this matters because one of the most frustrating aspects of image-based abuse is getting harmful content removed once it appears online.
The TAKE IT DOWN Act does not solve every problem. However, it provides an additional tool for families seeking removal of harmful images and demonstrates that lawmakers increasingly view AI-generated sexual imagery as a serious issue rather than a harmless joke.
What Should Parents Expect From a School?
When a sexually explicit deepfake begins circulating among students, parents often want to know what the school is required to do.
The answer depends on the circumstances, but schools should take these reports seriously.
At a minimum, parents should expect schools to:
- Investigate reports of harassment;
- Evaluate whether Title IX obligations are implicated;
- Take reasonable steps to prevent ongoing harm;
- Consider supportive measures for affected students; and
- Address retaliation if it occurs.
Schools may also need to preserve evidence, communicate with families, and determine whether law enforcement should be involved.
One challenge is that many deepfake incidents originate off campus. A student may create the image at home, using a personal device, outside school hours.
That does not necessarily mean the effects remain outside the school environment.
When the image spreads among students and begins affecting a student’s ability to participate in school, educational institutions may still have important responsibilities.
What Should Parents Do If Their Child Is Targeted?
If you learn that someone has created or shared a sexually explicit deepfake involving your child, acting quickly can be important.
Consider:
- Preserving screenshots and messages;
- Saving URLs and account information;
- Reporting the incident to the school;
- Asking whether Title IX personnel should be involved;
- Requesting removal from online platforms;
- Documenting the impact on your child; and
- Seeking legal advice regarding available options.
Every situation is different. The appropriate response will depend on the facts, the extent of the distribution, and the school’s actions.
What is important is recognizing that these incidents should not be dismissed simply because artificial intelligence was involved.
Looking Ahead
Artificial intelligence is changing the landscape of student harassment faster than many schools, parents, and lawmakers anticipated.
For Colorado families, understanding how deepfakes work—and what options are available when a child is targeted—is becoming increasingly important.
The technology will continue evolving. Unfortunately, so will opportunities for misuse.
Schools, parents, and policymakers are still learning how to respond.
In the meantime, families should know that a sexually explicit deepfake is not harmless simply because it is fabricated. The images may be fake, but the impact on children often is not.