AI abuse 'a bigger danger to children than social media'

In his first interview since becoming the CEO of children's charity NSPCC, Chris Sherwood speaks to Holly Bancroft about the disturbing challenges facing young people today

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A scammer used AI to paste a teenage boy's face onto a naked body before extorting him for cash, the new head of the NSPCC has warned in a stark example of the new horrors facing children online.

In his first interview as CEO of the leading children’s charity, Chris Sherwood warned that the threat from generative AI could be worse for children than the impact of social media. His comments come as Childline, the helpline run by the NSPCC, has reported seeing young people increasingly mentioning AI abuse in their counselling sessions.

Last year, Childline recorded 178 counselling sessions with mentions of AI-related phrases, new data reveals. In a demonstration of how AI is already impacting the lives of young Britons, the top concerns where AI was mentioned were mental health issues, online safety issues such as bullying or sexual abuse, school problems, friendship issues and sex, and relationships and puberty.

Children specifically referenced AI therapists, AI role play, and AI chatbots in their sessions with Childline.

Mr Sherwood, who started in the role earlier this year, warned we are “just at the start” of a tech revolution that will shape the lives of this generation’s children. He said that, while there are huge benefits to come from artificial intelligence, “generative AI has the potential to be particularly pernicious, much more pernicious than social media has been”.

“It could be used for positive ends or for dark ends and we’re just at the start of this,” he added. “I don’t want to be sitting here as the NSPCC chief executive in 10 years’ time hearing stories about how AI has damaged young people’s lives. We can take action now to build regulations that protect children.”