ATLANTA — A new study on teens and artificial intelligence use is raising concerns for parents.
Researchers found more than half of teens in the U.S. have used AI to create sexualized images and share them with others.
“They will take pictures of themselves, use gen AI to make it appear that they are not wearing any clothing and then sharing it with others,” said Chad Steel, a digital forensics professor at George Mason University.
Steel says the behavior is not limited to boys.
“Boys were doing it slightly more than girls, but girls were still very very high in usage,” Steel said.
The study also found about one-third of teens say a sexualized image of themselves has been distributed without their consent.
Steel says the findings should serve as a warning for parents.
“This is something where parents should be aware and should be talking to their kids about and better educating them of the risks and harms of online behavior,” Steel said.
He says some teens may feel pressure to create and share the images.
“Girls may be more coerced by boys to do this, or feel pressured to do it more so than boys which may have upped the numbers,” Steel said.
WSB Radio’s Bill Caiaccio contributed to this story.