Elliston Berry discovered at age 14 that a classmate had created and shared a deepfake nude image of her online, and she did not know where to seek help or how to remove the content. Now 16, she has transformed that painful experience into advocacy and action. Berry helped develop an online training course that educates students, parents, and school staff about non-consensual deepfake image abuse. She created the initiative in partnership with cybersecurity firm Adaptive Security and Pathos Consulting Group, aiming to ensure schools respond faster and more effectively.
The programme emerges as AI-driven sexual harassment continues to rise. Tools that enable users to create realistic deepfake images of minors and adults have become more accessible, which has increased risks for young people. This week, Elon Musk’s xAI faced criticism after users repeatedly exploited its chatbot Grok to generate sexualised images of women and minors. In response, the company restricted the chatbot’s image-generation features, highlighting growing pressure on tech firms to act responsibly.
Education, law and accountability
Research from non-profit organisation Thorn shows that one in eight US teens knows someone targeted by nude deepfakes. Lawmakers have also responded. The Take It Down Act, signed into law last year following advocacy from Berry, criminalises the sharing of non-consensual explicit images, whether real or AI-generated. It also requires platforms to remove reported content within 48 hours.
Berry said a lack of awareness at her Texas high school left staff unable to protect or comfort victims. Therefore, the 17-minute course focuses heavily on educators while also supporting students and parents. It teaches participants how to recognise AI-generated deepfakes, understand sexual abuse and sextortion, and access resources from RAINN, alongside clear legal guidance under the new law.
Adaptive Security CEO Brian Long said the course also targets potential perpetrators by stressing that such behaviour is illegal and deeply harmful. Berry revealed it took nine months to remove her own images and warned that more teens face similar abuse every month. Consequently, Adaptive Security now offers the course free to schools and parents nationwide to expand awareness and prevention.
