AS artificial intelligence becomes more advanced, parents and schools across Port Stephens are being urged to think carefully before sharing photos of children online.
The warning follows a new Online Safety Advisory released by the eSafety Commissioner after a rise in reports involving school images being manipulated into deepfakes, fake videos and other harmful content.
Between January and March this year, eSafety received more than 100 reports involving anonymous social media accounts targeting schools and school staff.
Almost all involved images taken from school websites or public social media pages.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant said while schools use photos to celebrate student achievements and build community connections, they also need to consider the risks.
“Behind each of these reports are real people, teachers, school staff and students, who are facing humiliation, reputational damage and distress,” Ms Inman-Grant said.
The advisory encourages schools to carefully consider why an image is being shared, who can access it and whether identifying details such as school uniforms, names, or locations should be included.
News Of The Area contacted several local public and independent schools for comment.
Public schools referred enquiries to the NSW Department of Education, while independent schools contacted did not respond before publication.
A NSW Department of Education spokesperson said schools already operated under strict policies governing consent, privacy and the publication of student images.
“The NSW Department of Education takes online safety and student wellbeing seriously and will carefully consider the eSafety Commissioner’s advice,” the spokesperson said.
The department said parents who have consented to their child’s image being published by a school can withdraw that consent at any time.
It also confirmed that the updated Online Safety Advisory will be distributed to all public school staff and principals across New South Wales.
The department said its policies align with current NSW laws, which make it a criminal offence to create, share or threaten to share sexually explicit AI-generated deepfakes of a real person without consent.
Students are also taught about consent, privacy, online harms, and image-based abuse through the curriculum from primary school through to Year 10.
Port Stephens MP Kate Washington said schools across the region were taking the issue seriously.
“I can assure parents, carers and children that our local schools take the issue of AI-generated deepfakes and other harmful online content extremely seriously,” Ms. Washington said.
“This week, the NSW Department of Education will distribute the latest advice from the eSafety Commissioner to all public schools to ensure they have access to the most up-to-date guidance on managing these issues.”
The eSafety Commissioner is encouraging schools and families to regularly review privacy settings, think carefully before sharing identifiable images online, and have clear plans in place should photos be misused.
By Althea GUINSBERG
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