‘You wouldn’t share your children’s photos if you saw what we see’

Parents and organisations working with children should avoid sharing their photographs on social media because of the global rise in AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery, police have warned.

Once you upload a photo, you lose control over it, Superintendent Anna Marie Xuereb warned.

“At the very least, people should be very careful about what they post and where they share it.”

The message from the head of the Cyber Crime Unit was echoed by the Commissioner for Children and the Lisa Maria Foundation – both committed to safeguarding children.

The rapid rise in AI-generated sexualised images of children, including photographs that have been manipulated into child sexual abuse material, is becoming a global concern.

UNICEF, the UK’s National Crime Agency and the Internet Watch Foundation have all warned that publicly available images of children are increasing being used to create AI-generated child sexual abuse material. The IWF identified more than 8,000 such images and videos in 2025, a 14% increase on the previous year.

While Maltese police have not identified any confirmed cases of this type of AI-generated abusive images involving local children, Xuereb stressed this does not mean it is not happening.

“We are no safer than children in any other part of the world because there are no boundaries on the internet,” Xuereb said.

“We cannot share with the public everything we see in our line of work. If people saw what we see, they would not share their children’s photos on social media.”

Police sergeant Matthew Sacco, who works in the Cyber Crime Unit’s child sexual exploitation team, echoed that advice: “If parents saw what we see, they would close down their social media accounts.”

Parents should think about the long-term digital footprint they are creating for their children and consider whether an image really needs to be shared- Commissioner for Children Antoinette Vassallo

Stickers or emojis do not protect children

Xuereb and Sacco said police consistently advise parents during awareness campaigns to keep images of their children off social media wherever possible.

If parents choose to share photos, they should ensure appropriate privacy settings are in place and only share them within trusted, closed groups.

“Not all parents are careful about who follows them on Facebook. Some accounts are completely public, making it easy for someone with malicious intentions to download images.”

However, they acknowledged that many parents face pressure when schools or organisations ask for consent to photograph children during activities.

“Some parents simply go with the flow,” Xuereb said.

“Others hesitate because they don’t want to be the only family refusing consent. There is also pressure from children themselves.”

The officers believe institutions need to lead the way.

“If a child has to step aside during a class photo because their parents refused consent, that can expose them to bullying. At the same time, we’re teaching children that it’s normal to constantly take photos and upload them online,” said Sacco.

Adding stickers or emojis over children’s faces offers little protection, Sacco warned.

“They can easily be removed,” he said.

Even supposedly private platforms carry risks.

“A WhatsApp group is only as safe as the trust between the people in it,” Sacco said.

“We also know that WhatsApp accounts can be compromised. If someone takes over your account and accesses backups, they may gain access to all your photos.”

He pointed to school group chats where children sometimes edit classmates’ photos and circulate them beyond the original group.

Cases reaching police

Although police are not aware of confirmed cases involving manipulated images of Maltese children by strangers, Xuereb cautioned that such cases may simply be undetected.

Much of Malta’s child sexual abuse material investigations begin with reports from the US-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which receives referrals from major social media platforms. The information is then passed through Europol and national police.

“We receive quite a large amount of material considering our population,” Xuereb said. This includes abuse material produced abroad but downloaded or shared in Malta.

Children uploading videos to parents’ phones

Police are also seeing increasing numbers of self-generated abuse material involving children.

“We had around 30 cases last year,” Xuereb said.

“Some involved children as young as five filming themselves naked and uploading the videos, often using a parent’s phone or account.”

Parents are often shocked when contacted by police.

“Very often you can hear the parents talking in another room while the child is recording.”

Police have also investigated a small number of cases involving people creating deepfake sexual images of individuals they know.

The officers argued that legal processes should move more quickly when vulnerable victims are involved. Legal expert Antonio Ghio recently said that Malta’s laws have failed to keep pace with the rise of AI-generated deepfakes. He said there is no offence at the moment for using a tool to create an entirely new deepfake.

Xuereb and Sacco noted that, under Maltese law, police cannot engage in undercover online conversations with suspected paedophiles in ways that could amount to entrapment.

In February, the government’s public consultation on social media reform, which aims at better protecting children online, closed. No outcome has yet been communicated publicly.

Meanwhile, the European Union continues to discuss stronger legislation, including proposals to raise the minimum age for social media use and place greater responsibility on technology platforms.

Safeguarding policies needed

The Commissioner for Children and the Lisa Maria Foundation committee for safeguarding children both urged greater caution when sharing children’s images online.

Commissioner for Children Antoinette Vassallo said organisations should carefully consider whether sharing identifiable images is absolutely necessary.

She said schools and activity providers should adopt child safeguarding policies that reflect AI-related risks, obtain informed parental consent, involve children in decisions where appropriate, and avoid sharing images that reveal personal information.

“Parents should think about the long-term digital footprint they are creating for their children and consider whether an image really needs to be shared.”

The Lisa Maria Foundation delivered a similar message: “Unfortunately, innocently shared images can fall into the wrong hands, making them vulnerable to AI manipulation. As caregivers, we should ask ourselves: do I really need to share that image of my child?”

Anyone who needs police support can contact Crime Stop on 119 or visit www.pulizija.gov.mt or www.childwebalert.gov.mt.