As the use of artificial intelligence continues to expand, AI-generated sexual content is already having an impact on teenagers.
According to a new study from Common Sense Media, nearly 75% of teens have seen online pornography and more than half encounter this type of content by the age of 12.
The survey of more than 1,300 teens ages 13 to 17 found that nearly half of teens said they had seen sexual content that they believed was generated by AI.
Content created using generative AI tools or genetic AI tools may include fake nude images and videos; deepfakes; and content from nudification tools and apps that allow a user to create a fake image depicting people without clothing.
While findings about teens and their exposure to sexual content have remained relatively constant since Common Sense Media’s 2023 report, teens’ access to content has changed significantly over the past three years.
“That’s what I think makes this stand out,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Supreet Mann, research director at Common Sense Media. “What we’re talking about isn’t ‘commercial or curated pornography.’ We’re talking about things that destroy agency and take away people’s ability to control their image.”
Teens often come across AI-generated sexual images of celebrities, but nudification tools are now exposing teens to the sexual content of their peers.
Almost 20% of survey participants have created AI-generated sexual content themselves or know someone who has, and more than Half said it depicted someone they knew, the organization’s researchers said.
“What we are seeing here is the emergence of a very specific and what I would call increasingly frictionless space that allows young people to access and explore in a largely unfiltered and unregulated way,” Mann said.
Nudification apps are easily available at the touch of a button.
Of the 44% of teens who viewed sexual content that they believed was generated by AI, 15% said they came across it through an AI app that created or modified photos and videos.
Even though there are regulations around what’s allowed in app stores, these apps can sometimes get away with not promoting the full range of their capabilities, said Riana Pfefferkorn, a policy fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence.
“There is a lot of research that shows that the ‘hit work’ that app stores and social media platforms are doing hasn’t really been enough to keep up,” said Pfefferkorn, who was not involved in the new research.
Mann found that many teenagers were thinking about how they present themselves on social media.
Almost 70% of teenagers were afraid of falling victim to AI-generated sexual content without their consent. These teens also took steps to protect themselves by being careful about what they posted, making their social media private, or even deleting their accounts entirely.
While it’s good that teens understand the importance of monitoring their social media, Mann noted that it seemed to increase victim blaming.
“Why is the burden on young people to change their own behavior because they are afraid of other people’s actions?” she said.
The frequency and accessibility of this type of content also distorts teens’ perceptions of sex, consent, and body image.
Nearly 70% of teens believe AI-generated sexual content influences the way they view what their bodies should look like. This is particularly concerning when you consider that teenagers are at a time in life where their bodies are constantly and rapidly changing, Mann said.
“It influences the way young people think about really important core elements of the teenage experience, like consent and romantic relationships,” she added.
More than a third of teens said they would like to talk to an adult about AI-generated sexual content, but don’t know where to start.
For families, this can feel like entering uncharted territory. How do you start conversations about something you don’t fully understand?
Common Sense Media encourages parents and guardians to have supportive conversations with their children that begin with consent, health and sexual identity. This provides a solid basis to work with before delving into the technology of it all.
Younger teens felt more comfortable talking to their parents compared to older teens Research results also suggested. Starting these conversations early can be a good way to raise awareness about AI-generated sexual content later.
Mann says parents and guardians should have open, ongoing conversations, not one big conversation. They should also feel comfortable asking their children to walk them through any AI-enabled apps and answer any other questions they have about the apps on their devices.
Meanwhile, in many cases, young people are experiencing the negative effects of AI-generated images of themselves or others at school.
Several schools are at the center of incidents in which teenagers are facing legal consequences for creating fake, explicit images of their classmates. This makes it increasingly concerning that teens are almost as comfortable talking to an AI chatbot as they are talking to a school counselor or teacher. according to the new research.
Education officials must manage the interaction with these scenarios without getting involved in situations that technically happen off campus. But when two students interact with each other, Pfefferkorn said, there is a certain level of institutional responsibility.
“There is a role for schools, for parents and families, even for talking to other friends, as well as for platforms and policymakers,” Pfefferkorn said. “This is truly a societal problem and not something children should be left to deal with on their own.”
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https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/21/health/teens-generative-ai-sexual-content-wellness
