Health · AI in child abuseAI Now in 1 in 3 Child Exploitation Cases, Police WarnAired August 19, 2026 at 6:46 PM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00About 1/3 of child sexual abuse and0:02exploitation investigations,0:03approximately 33%, now involve0:06AI-generated or manipulated material,0:08marking a sharp shift in how children0:10are being targeted. That share0:11translates to roughly [music] one in0:12three cases now, including images or0:14videos that were created or altered with0:16artificial intelligence. Those images0:18are often not originally sexual.0:20Innocent photos are scraped from the0:22internet, [music]0:22fed into widely available notification0:24apps, and transformed. In schools, that0:26has meant students taking routine photos0:28of classmates from social media and0:30altering [music] them into sexualized0:31images that are then circulated. The law0:34treats these images as illegal0:35regardless of whether they were made or0:37manipulated with AI. Making, possessing,0:40distributing, [music] and accessing them0:41can bring charges. For families, the0:43risk is immediate. A routine photo0:45posted publicly can be copied, altered,0:47and circulated without consent. Parents0:49are advised to talk directly [music]0:50with children about what posting0:52publicly means, limit who can see0:54images, and contact local law0:55enforcement immediately if such material0:57is [music] created. The details surfaced0:59on August 18th, and the scope behind the1:011/3 figure remains unclear, whether it1:03reflects investigations [music]1:04in Prince Edward Island, across the RCMP1:07nationally, or another jurisdiction,1:08[music] and what time period it covers.1:10It is also not yet clear how many1:12investigations, [music] charges, or1:14convictions have involved AI material,1:16or how widely the school-based misuse of1:18nudification [music] apps has spread1:20beyond the cases described, and which1:22platforms are most commonly used.1:24Like and follow for more stories that1:26matter.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗