Did someone share an explicit image of your child online? Take these steps

Did someone share an explicit image of your child online? Possessing or sharing explicit images of children can be a serious crime — and that includes AI-generated deepfakes. Report the perpetrator immediately to criminal law enforcement and take action to get online platforms to remove the images as quickly as possible. Here are the steps to help protect your child and limit the harm. Report the perpetrator Contact your local police department. Report the incident to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s (NCMEC’s) CyberTipline , or call 1-800-843-5678. NCMEC’s trained analysts make your report available to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Contact the FBI directly by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI, or visit a local FBI field office . Request removal and help stop the spread Tell the platform to take down the image. The Take It Down Act requires covered platforms to give parents an easy way to request the removal of explicit images of a child. If you have an account with the platform, log in and use the report option, which may be on or near the image — often, this option is in the three dots you’ll see in the upper right corner of the image. If you don't have an account with the platform, check the platform's help center for removal request instructions. Report a platform that fails to remove the explicit image. If the covered platform doesn’t take down the image within 48 hours, report them to the FTC at TakeItDown.ftc.gov . Help prevent the image from being shared elsewhere online. Use NCMEC’s Take It Down service which creates a hash, like a digital fingerprint of the image, to help suppress it from appearing in other places online. Taking these steps can help protect your child and limit the harm. Learn more at TakeItDown.ftc.gov , where you’ll find links to support and guidance. Acting quickly can make a meaningful difference.