From photos at the swimming carnival and the beaming student holding a certificate at assembly to the Year 7 camp highlights reel, images have long been how schools celebrate their students, connect with families and share the story of their community. A school photo policy has always guided what gets shared, and where.

But what happens to those images once they’re shared online?

Weighing up consent, privacy, safety and the sharing of personal information, including students’ faces, has always been a balancing act for schools. Generative AI has moved the goalposts.

An ordinary photo of a student can now be copied, manipulated and turned into something harmful in minutes, with no specialist skills or sophisticated equipment required. All someone needs is an image found on a publicly accessible school website or social media account.

Schools want to share their stories and celebrate their students. But as AI-enabled harms grow, the balance has shifted. We need to rethink how we share students’ images and whether the benefits are worth the potential risks.

The evidence is hard to ignore

AI-enabled image abuse is already affecting Australian young people.

In July 2026, ICMEC Australia and Adelaide University released the first national study examining AI’s role in the online sexual victimisation of Australian children. Surveying 1,894 young people aged 16 to 18, the research found:

The international picture is equally concerning.

US reporting data revealed a 1,325% increase in reports involving AI-generated child sexual abuse material in a single year. The growing popularity of AI-powered “nudify” and “undress” apps further highlights how vulnerable innocent photographs are to being converted into sexualised images without consent. The uncomfortable reality is that an image shared with the best intentions can become the source material for something deeply harmful.

And this isn’t a risk schools can afford to overlook.

What does this mean for your school photo policy?

In July 2026, the eSafety Commissioner released new guidance, Sharing school imagery in the age of AI, following a sharp rise in reports involving school-related image misuse.

Between January and March 2026, eSafety received more than 100 reports about anonymous accounts targeting schools and school staff. Almost all involved imagery taken from school social media accounts or websites.

The guidance asks schools to:

• Review what images they share, who can access them and whether identifiable images are necessary.
• Update student behaviour and acceptable use policies to address AI-manipulated content.
• Ensure incident response plans cover the misuse of student and staff images.
• Educate students about AI-manipulated content, consent and the harm caused by sharing images without permission.

Schools are already responding in different ways

Some have removed student photographs from their websites. Others are reviewing consent processes and changing what they publish while continuing to share school life.

There isn’t one right approach for every school, but there is a clear need for leaders to understand the risks and make informed decisions about what works for their community.

The regulatory landscape is shifting across Australia too. Upcoming privacy reforms, alongside the Government’s Digital Duty of Care legislation, signal growing expectations around protecting children online.

So, as school leaders, we need to consider: when was the last time your school reviewed its photography, consent and image-sharing practices? And were those decisions made with today’s AI capabilities in mind?

With 2027 enrolment and consent forms being finalised now, there’s no better time to ask.

Rethinking school photography doesn’t mean stopping the celebration

It’s important to recognise that schools have good reasons for sharing student images.

Families love seeing their children celebrated. Staff want to showcase student achievements. Schools want to share what makes their community special and help prospective families understand what life at the school looks like.

But the way we think about photography and consent needs to evolve alongside the technology.

A consent form completed at enrolment doesn’t necessarily address every consideration that comes with generative AI. Having permission to publish an image doesn’t automatically mean publishing it is the right decision. School leaders need to consider the purpose of sharing an image, where it will appear, who can access it and whether there is a safer way to achieve the same outcome.

It’s about finding a balance between celebrating school life and keeping student safety front and centre.

Importantly, this is a conversation that needs to involve the whole school community. Changes to photography and image-sharing practices may affect staff, students and families, so explaining why those changes are happening is just as important as making them.

Learn from a school already leading the way

Knowing the risks is important, but schools also need practical examples of what implementing these changes looks like from a policy level through to the posts themselves. That’s why we’ve invited Jade Smith, Deputy Principal at St Peter’s College, to share her school’s experience and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.

St Peter’s College has already taken a close look at how it approaches student image sharing and photography practices. Jade will share what prompted the review, the considerations involved, the changes they’ve made, and how they’ve engaged their school community throughout the process.

Importantly, this isn’t about stopping schools from sharing the wonderful things happening in their communities, it’s about finding a way to do all of this while keeping student safety front and centre.

Jade will share how St Peter’s College is balancing its responsibility to protect students with the value of celebrating school life and showcasing its community.

For other schools considering a similar review, hearing from a school already navigating these decisions offers an opportunity to learn from their experience, including the practical considerations, challenges and conversations involved.

What we’ll unpack together

On Thursday 26 November, Cyber Safety Project is bringing together leading voices in child protection, online safety and education for a free, one-hour panel discussion designed specifically for school leaders. Together, we’ll explore:

1. The changing landscape: what the latest research and eSafety guidance mean for schools and why existing photography and consent practices may need another look.
2. The risks of AI image abuse: how innocent student photographs can be manipulated and misused, and why publicly accessible images can create new risks for young people.
3. Rethinking school photography: how St Peter’s has approached reviewing its practices, making changes and communicating those changes to its school community.

We’ll also tackle the questions leaders are asking:

• Are our current photography and consent practices still appropriate in the age of AI?
• How do we balance celebrating students with protecting them?
• What should we review in our policies and procedures?
• How do we bring staff, students and families along if our approach needs to change?

You’ll leave with practical ideas to help you:

• Review consent, photography and image-sharing practices.
• Understand the latest eSafety guidance and what it means for your school.
• Strengthen policies and incident response processes.
• Communicate changes to your school community with confidence.

All registrants will also receive Cyber Safety Project’s Safer Photo Sharing Checklist, a practical resource for anyone posting on behalf of their school. You can also submit questions when registering for the panel, giving us an opportunity to address the issues that matter most to your school.

Meet the panel

• 

  Trent Ray (Host)

  Co-Founder, Cyber Safety Project

  Trent will lead the conversation and bring the discussion back to practical next steps for schools.

• 

  Rebecca Martin

  Lead Educator, Cyber Safety Project

  Rebecca will unpack the latest eSafety guidance and what it means for school policies, consent and safer image sharing.

• 

  Colm Gannon

  CEO, ICMEC Australia

  Colm will share insights into how generative AI is reshaping child exploitation and the risks associated with publicly accessible images.

• 

  Jade Smith

  Deputy Principal, St Peter’s College

  Jade will share her school’s experience of reviewing student image-sharing practices, the decisions involved and what other schools can learn.

Join us: School Images in the Age of AI

A free live panel discussion for school leaders.

When

Thursday 26 November 2026, 3:45pm–4:45pm AEDT

Where

Online

Cost

Free

Who should attend? Principals, deputy principals, executive teams, child safety and wellbeing leads, ICT and digital learning leaders, communications staff and anyone responsible for managing or sharing student images.

Register now

Can’t make it live? Register anyway to receive the recording. All registrants will also receive our Safer Photo Sharing Checklist.

You don’t need to be an expert or have all the answers today. What matters is feeling informed about the risks, knowing where to seek guidance and being confident that your school’s approach is helping students thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Know someone who manages your school’s social media or website? Forward this invitation to them. They should be part of the conversation too!