France’s High Commissioner for Children has warned that artificial intelligence is creating new dangers for young people, including deepfakes used for sexual extortion and predatory behaviour on gaming platforms marketed to children as young as five.
Sarah El Haïry addressed a conference in Paris on Thursday, 29th January organised by associations Colosse aux pieds d’argile and Contre les violences sur mineurs, focusing on preventing violence against children in the digital age.
750,000 predators operating daily
El Haïry warned that 750,000 paedophile criminals operate daily on the internet with targeted and well-practised strategies, exploiting children’s vulnerability on platforms often perceived as harmless.
“I will never accept that the digital world and social networks become a jungle, with predators on one side and prey on the other,” she said. “The predators are the 750,000 paedophile criminals who operate every day on the internet. The prey are our children.”
She described herself as a “geek” who appreciates technology and gaming, but stressed that as High Commissioner for Children, her sole compass is protecting all children, everywhere and all the time.
Roblox highlighted as concern
El Haïry specifically cited Roblox, a gaming platform where users create their own games with graphics that appear child-friendly. More than 40% of its users are under 13-years-old, though the platform is officially designated for children from five-years-old.
Despite its playful appearance, serious problems have been observed on the platform, including games titled “Escape to Jeffrey Epstein’s Island” and others whose objective is to assault homeless people. The platform’s voice chat system allows strangers to contact children, frequently leading to other applications where photos are exchanged.
“Parents are often unaware that behind a graphic universe similar to Lego, very real dangers are hidden,” El Haïry said. “Predators have understood this perfectly: the more harmless a platform appears, the lower the vigilance.”
AI-generated sexual content
The commissioner referenced the scandal involving Grok, the generative AI on social network X, which allowed users to digitally undress young girls and boys on demand, visible to everyone.
“This is not a game. It is forbidden and punishable by seven years in prison, and ten years when the victim is under fifteen,” she stated.
Following discovery of these images, El Haïry contacted the European Commission’s vice-president to activate existing mechanisms. On Monday, 27th January, the Commission opened an investigation into X.
She also raised concerns about toys and stuffed animals for children incorporating conversational AI, where exchanges have been shown to quickly drift towards sexual discussions. “Who could have imagined this by looking at a simple teddy bear?” she asked.
Adolescent AI companion use
El Haïry noted that AI is transforming social interactions among young people. At age 15, 70% of adolescents use an AI companion, with 50% using it regularly.
Among 18 to 24-year-olds, 64% fear becoming victims of deepfakes, though younger children may perceive the risk as more abstract despite being most vulnerable.
Call for training and prevention
The commissioner emphasised that firmness must go hand in hand with prevention, training and awareness across the entire protection chain: children, parents and professionals.
“AI is here. So either we suffer it, or we choose to take advantage of all the opportunities,” she said, noting that AI can provide valuable time savings and support for child protection when used for data analysis.
She thanked the organising associations and stated she would closely follow the conference conclusions, which will inform public policies including the plan to combat violence against children, which she oversees.
“Everywhere there are children, including in digital space, risks exist, and our collective responsibility is never to ignore them,” El Haïry concluded.
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Photo credit: Oberon Copeland @veryinformed.com, Unsplash