Brigidine College in Brisbane has restricted the use of identifiable student photos on social media to protect children from the risks of AI-driven image manipulation and grooming.

Key Points

• Brigidine College now only posts student photos that are obscured, such as side profiles, group shots, or images from behind.
• Principal Brendan Cahill implemented the policy to address growing concerns regarding the use of generative AI to create non-consensual, exploitative imagery.
• Criminologist Dr. Danielle Harris warns that public photos can provide predators with identifying details like school uniforms, locations, and extracurricular schedules.
• The eSafety Commissioner advises schools to exercise caution, suggesting that private platforms are safer alternatives for sharing community updates than public social media.
• Federal and state education departments acknowledge that deepfake abuse and cyber-bullying are increasingly impacting school environments, necessitating updated safety policies.

Why it Matters

This shift highlights a growing tension between traditional school marketing practices and the urgent need to protect students from sophisticated digital threats. As AI technology makes image-based abuse easier to execute, schools are being forced to re-evaluate how they balance community engagement with the long-term digital safety of their pupils.