Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is taking the world by storm. It’s hard to keep up, and truth be told, many of us long for the good old days when playing meant running through the sprinkler, drinking from the hose, and being home when the streetlights came on. Today, kids “play” on social media and drink alkaline water from pricey Stanley tumblers while parents geotrack their smartphone locations.
Technology is a reality of 21st-century parenting, and AI is the latest evolution.
In basic terms, AI uses computers to mimic human intelligence and solve problems. AI is used to create art, produce movies, edit photos, support businesses, analyze accounting data, process patient data to help clinicians make diagnoses, translate languages instantly, and much more. ChatGPT is an AI chatbot that responds to human language and is freely accessible to kids, who are using it to write papers for school while teachers and parents wrestle with the ethics.
Although technology has the potential to solve problems while saving time and money, it brings new threats.
Publicly available computer coding now allows AI use in smartphone applications to remove clothing from innocent pictures and videos of women and girls. With ads like “Undress any girl you want,” the demand for AI soars. It is estimated that in the first month after this tech debut, 34 companies had 24 million visitors online. This is marketed as legitimate e-commerce and targets minors. It is extremely traumatizing for girls to suddenly see a deepfake (a realistic but fabricated) nude photo or video of themselves circulating, with no idea where it came from. It’s called “nonconsensual intimate imagery.” It is a big deal, and there are very few laws for protection.
What do we do?
First, we remember God is in control. He is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. We know God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love, and self-control. We reject fear-based parenting and adopt a faith-informed approach guided by prayer and wisdom found in God’s Word.
Second, accept the reality that technology will evolve faster than we can keep up with it. In this day and age, it is impossible to protect our kids from every threat that may come their way, when their world is saturated with screen exposure. Protection is an important defensive approach, but now more than ever, we need an offensive strategy to equip our kids to recognize and respond to threats with confidence and integrity.
▶ Talk to your kids before it happens, exposing them in a developmentally appropriate way that positions you as both the expert and their safe space. Kids need to be informed and empowered to say “no.” They need to know what to do if someone sends or shows them nonconsensual explicit images.
▶ Talk to your kid’s school about its policies on deepfakes. It is hard to regulate, and there are very few laws to provide recourse or justice.
▶ Instruct your kids to always report image-based abuse to a trusted adult.
▶ Remind them you always have an open door for conversation, and they can always talk to you about anything.
Third, don’t think, “My kid would never…” When kids have a smartphone, their thumbs move faster than the prefrontal cortex in their brains in decision-making. “Nudifying” can seem harmless because it’s fake. Peer pressure is real. Build relationships that encourage early disclosure and recovery on a path of grace, forgiveness, and restoration.
(Digital Editor's Note: This article was published first in the September 2024 print edition of The Stand. Click HERE for a free six-month subscription.)
