Is it safe to upload photos of your child to AI?

Experts are urging parents to think carefully before uploading photographs of their children to artificial intelligence (AI) tools, amid concerns over how images could be stored, reused or shared.

The warning comes as some parents have been using AI to remove watermarks from school photos to avoid paying for them.

While specialists say AI can bring benefits, they urge families to check how platforms handle uploaded images and whether photographs may be used to train AI models.

"It's not about avoiding AI altogether," said George Martin, security and data protection adviser at South West Grid for Learning. "It's about understanding what happens to those images once they've been uploaded."

What happens when you upload a photo to AI?

AI tools are increasingly used to edit photographs, generate images, translate documents and help with everyday tasks.

Supporters say the technology can save time and improve accessibility. However, questions remain about how platforms use the data people upload.

"Parents have limited visibility over what happens to the images once they're uploaded," Martin said.

"The second point is how that image could be used. An image of a child's school photograph could train a model."

Most platforms allow users to change settings to stop uploaded content being used for training, although these options vary between services.

Martin explained that it is possible to change the settings on the AI platform to instruct it not to use images to train models.

"Most AI platforms default to that if they can so it is important to have a look at those settings," he added.

Dog who lost both eyes learns to navigate by scent

'Collapsed bridge findings' and 'Animal cruelty'

Murder accused says housemate 'threatened to kill him'

Martin said AI could clearly bring benefits and value to schools, while helping staff deliver the curriculum and reducing workload, adding: "South West Grid for Learning has developed AI guidelines for schools and education establishments.

"We were keen to strike the balance between schools taking advantage of all of the benefits and value it can bring."

The debate reflects wider concerns about sharing children's photos online.

David Ellis, professor of behavioural science at the University of Bath, said people should not be frightened away from technology that can improve their lives.

However, he is sceptical about uploading children's photos to AI systems.

"I wouldn't do it. I say that in a blunt way," Ellis said.

"I make a distinction between a local system and a cloud system," he said.

"There are powerful AI systems that are disconnected from the internet and if you upload it to that it won't go anywhere.

"It's similar to considering whether you should put your children's photos on social media because ironically, they can be scanned by AI.

"People need to be clear about where the data goes. And AI companies need to make it clear.

Is it safe to upload photos of your child to AI?

Dr Simon Thorne, a senior computer science lecturer at Cardiff School of Technologies, urged caution when uploading identifiable images.

He said as a general rule, people should "never upload any personable identifiable photos".

"It's a terrible idea. It's a big risk," he said.

Thorne said users often have little visibility over how uploaded images are stored or reused.

Thorne added: "The dataset could get leaked online potentially and your material can be used to train future generations of the model.

"The image could be sold - you have no idea."

Why are parents using AI with school photos?

Some parents say they can understand why people are using AI to get school photos of their children without paying.

Rocío Thenmeyer, a mum from Bristol, said she had not used AI in this way, but the cost of buying the photos year on year made getting the genuine photos too expensive for some.

"It's either turning to AI or actually not spend the money on buying the pictures," she said.

"It's easy to do, there's plenty of AI tools that allow you to do that.

"I understand why we should be more careful with the images of our children on social media or the internet," she added.

"But if people decide, you know what, we already have all of our pictures on social media, we already use everything on the internet, we don't care about where pictures of our kids go, then I understand why they would."

Campaigners say photos uploaded online can be difficult to remove and may be reused in ways users did not expect.

Concerns have also grown as AI-generated imagery becomes more sophisticated.

A recent report published by the charity Internet Watch Foundation, which works to stop child sexual abuse online, shows that more AI-generated child sexual abuse images were found by them in the first six months of 2026 than all of 2025

"This is real. The impact and the trauma is real. What would a parent think if that was to happen to their child, when they upload the image of their child, if that was to appear in that inappropriate manner?" Martin said.

"Once the image is up there it's virtually impossible to have it removed. You can't. Once it's in there, that's it."

Martin said a lot of parents may not be aware that each photograph has its own metadata, particularly with school photographers.

"It contains information around where the photo was taken, it might contain information about the school," Martin said.

"That metadata can then be used by others who are also deploying AI to find out a whole amount of information about that child in the photograph, even where they go to school.

"There are those that could take advantage of having that information.

"Those images in the wrong hands can be misused, repurposed, to create synthetic child sex abuse material."

What should parents do before uploading photos to AI?

Checking whether uploaded images are used to train AI models

Reviewing privacy settings before uploading photographs

Avoiding images that show school uniforms, badges or locations

Understanding whether images are stored locally or on cloud servers

Martin added that it is important to build awareness of the dangers before considering uploading an image.

"What appears to be an opportunity to save a few pounds, the longer-term implications are considerable," Martin said.

Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook , X and Instagram . Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630 .

'People use AI to avoid paying for school photos, but they don't realise the consequences'

'AI helped diagnose my daughter's rare condition'

County spending £1.56m on AI for 'radical rethink'