Public discourse around AI often swings between unbridled optimism and deep concern. Rather than relying on either extreme, the latest DWBI findings provide an evidence-based view of how 13-to-24-year-olds in the six geographies are engaging with generative AI. Those findings reveal a complex and, at times, concerning picture of peer-to-peer interactions involving deepfakes. For instance:

• Nearly one-third (30%) of respondents, aged 13 to 24, reported having created a deepfake of someone else

• More than half (53%) of those who created a deepfake reported that the action resulted in “drama” or “conflict” within their social circles, and 

• While the majority used generative AI tools for creativity, fun and entertainment, more than a third (35% net) said the deepfakes they created were made with nefarious intent, specifically: to make someone look bad or to upset them (12%), in retaliation (12%) or to tease or harass another (11%). 

Asked how they would respond specifically to a sexual deepfake of themselves, the vast majority (81% net) of minor-aged teens said they would talk to someone, namely a parent (65%), while seven in 10 Gen Z young adults (70%) said they would report it, with law enforcement (53%) and technology platforms (51%) their primary outlets. More than one in 10 minor teens (18%) and more than two in 10 18-to-24-year-olds (22%) said they would simply ignore it or not take any of the actions listed. The chart below outlines the proffered options for action.

As we bring this five-year chapter of studying digital well-being to a close and evolve our research focus for the next number of years, our ecosystem-wide mission remains clear: to build online spaces where young people can learn, laugh and connect as safely and authentically as possible. The rise of deepfakes is a reminder that as technology evolves, our operational and educational efforts must evolve with it. By continuing to focus on literacy, resiliency and critical thinking, we can help ensure the next generation doesn't just "get by" online, but truly flourishes.

In support of these efforts, last month, Snap announced that wholly AI-generated videos will no longer be eligible for recommendation on Snapchat’s Spotlight feature. Indeed, as low-quality, repetitive, AI-generated content becomes increasingly common across online spaces, Snap wants Spotlight to remain a place where people can discover authentic creativity from real people. We also created a brief factsheet for parents and teens around AI-generated material. “Stop. Think. Could THIS Be AI?” is designed to spark conversations between teens, parents and other trusted adults about safe and responsible use of AI tools. We also collaborate with numerous other groups and organisations, and were the first to support the US Department of Homeland Security’s Know2Protect campaign, raising awareness of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Know2Protect published a primer on deepfakes here.   

In the public policy realm, Snap supported the Take It Down Act, which went into effect in May of 2025, establishing a US federal framework for addressing non-consensual intimate imagery, including AI-generated content. The law makes it a federal crime to knowingly publish, or threaten to publish, intimate imagery without consent, whether the material is authentic or synthetically generated, and it requires covered platforms to provide a reporting process and remove reported content within 48 hours.

Similar concerns are reflected in the “No to Nudify” campaign launched on Safer Internet Day 2026, which brought together child-safety and civil society organisations, many of which are Snap partners and collaborators. The WeProtect Global Alliance, INHOPE, the Internet Watch Foundation, NCMEC, Child Helpline International, Offlimits and Safe Online called for a ban on AI nudification tools. The campaign holds that so-called “nudify” apps are not, in fact, harmless experimentation, but are instead used to create non-consensual sexualised images from ordinary photos, and are increasingly linked to harassment, coercion, sexual extortion and abuse affecting women, girls and children.

Snap also participates in practical cross-industry programmes designed to limit the spread of such material on Snapchat. We are members of NCMEC’s Take It Down programme for minors and SWGfL’s StopNCII effort for 18+, receiving and leveraging unique digital signatures, or “hashes,” to help detect duplicate intimate imagery and remove content that violates our rules. These efforts matter because they focus not only on initial detection, but on preventing the recirculation of known intimate imagery and sexual deepfakes once they begin to spread.

– Jacqueline Beauchere, Global Head of Platform Safety, Snap Inc.