Düsseldorf – November 05, 2026 -- Ninety percent of children and teenagers say a sexual deepfake of themselves would be just as bad as a real nude photo. That is the central finding of the first study of its kind by the Landesanstalt für Medien NRW, the media authority of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Two in three young people fear being targeted
More than two-thirds of respondents (68%) worry that someone could create an AI-generated nude image or video of them. The fear is strongest among girls (75%) and among 11- to 13-year-olds (72%).
One in eight has already seen a sexual deepfake
One in eight respondents says they have already seen a sexual deepfake. Most encountered it on social media (45%), followed by public groups and channels (19%).
Among 11- to 13-year-olds who have seen such content, AI platforms or apps were a source for 26%. Group chats accounted for 22% and class chats for 17%.
Attitudes toward harassment remain mixed
A large majority (91%) takes harassment of girls and women online as seriously as harassment offline. Yet 27% agree that girls share some blame for online harassment if they present themselves provocatively. Another 30% believe some harassment accusations are made only to get attention.
Tobias Schmid, director of the Landesanstalt für Medien NRW, said the images are fake but the humiliation is real. He called for legal protection and early prevention, and welcomed the German federal government's draft law on protection against digital violence, which also targets sexual deepfakes.