AI-Generated Inappropriate Images of Teachers Circulate in Scottish Schools
Pupils in Scottish schools have used artificial intelligence technology to produce sexual and violent images of their teachers, subsequently sharing these images on social media platforms.
Several staff members have been signed off work due to stress following the circulation of this content, with a teaching union describing the footage as humiliating for educators.
Some of the manipulated clips involve the likenesses of teachers being inserted into pornographic film footage. Additionally, fake social media accounts impersonating teachers have been created. Although the issue initially surfaced in the Renfrewshire area, BBC Scotland has received reports indicating that the problem is occurring across the country.
Union Response and Impact on Teachers
Seamus Searson, general secretary of the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association, spoke to Radio Scotland Breakfast about the situation, noting that the images often begin as an attempt at humour but quickly escalate into more disturbing content.
A document submitted to the Renfrewshire Joint Negotiating Committee for Teachers earlier this week described the videos as "often humiliating, offensive, violent and (sometimes) sexual in nature."
Searson told BBC Scotland about a specific case in Renfrewshire where a young person compiled images of a teacher in a "very compromising situation" which were then circulated throughout the school.
"All the children have seen these images and the teacher was left totally humiliated - it was intolerable for her to be in the school. This is now becoming a situation for all schools,"
"It can start at a very low level, but then escalates into very nasty situations. There are no boundaries on this, so therefore children think they can do these sorts of things without any comeback.
It is open season on teachers with these images."
Concerns Over Technology and Social Media Access
The union has called for restrictions on children's access to social media, emphasizing that banning mobile phones in classrooms alone would not resolve the issue, as the images are often created outside school hours.
Paul Cochrane, vice chairman of the union, informed BBC Scotland that some reported incidents involve images of teachers being inserted into pornographic clips.
He added that local authorities and police have been consulted regarding some of these images.
"It's really concerning that this is so easy. You have a set of instructions, send off a picture and away it goes.
In that sense, technology companies are allowing this. They have developed something that can take anybody's face and put it in a pornographic film. That is incredibly hurtful for those affected."
Council and Police Actions
Renfrewshire Council stated that it maintains "robust policies in place" concerning violence and aggression, as well as acceptable use of ICT and mobile phone use within schools.
A spokesperson for the council commented:
"While the nature of social media platforms makes online abuse a difficult issue to manage across society, we will always do what we can to protect our staff and will continue to work with teaching unions and any other group to consider how best to do that."
Earlier this year, in January, police investigated a school in County Armagh after explicit AI-generated images of girls were shared among pupils. Similarly, police on the Isle of Man have warned that the number of children using AI to create indecent deepfake images has increased significantly.
Regulatory Perspective
An Ofcom spokesperson provided information on the regulatory framework under the Online Safety Act, stating:
"Under the Online Safety Act, tech firms must assess the risk of people in the UK encountering illegal content on their platforms, take appropriate steps to reduce the risk of UK users encountering it and take it down quickly when they become aware of it.
They are also accountable for ensuring sites, platforms and apps are safer for the children who use them.
It can be illegal to create or share non-consensual intimate images including sexual deepfakes created with AI and individuals who commit criminal offences online can face prosecution by law enforcement."
