Lesson 1044 of 1455
AI and AI-generated CSAM rules: the absolute lines you do not cross
Understand why AI-generated child sexual material is illegal — even cartoons, even of yourself.
Builders · Safety & Governance · ~4 min read
The big idea
Generating, requesting, or sharing sexual content of anyone under 18 — including cartoons, AI fakes, or even of yourself — is a federal crime in the US and most countries. There's no grey zone, no edge case.
How to use it
- Ask AI to explain the PROTECT Act in plain English
- Know that 'I drew it myself' or 'it's just AI' is not a defense
- Report any service that generates this to NCMEC CyberTipline
- Walk away from any group chat asking for it — and report
Try it
Save NCMEC CyberTipline (1-800-843-5678) and ncmec.org/cybertipline to your phone in case you ever need to report.
Key terms in this lesson
Practice this safely
Try this with a school, hobby, or family example where the stakes are low. Use the AI output as a draft you can question, not as the final answer.
- 1Ask AI to explain CSAM in plain language, then underline anything that sounds uncertain or too broad.
- 2Give it one detail from "AI and AI-generated CSAM rules: the absolute lines you do not cross" and ask for two possible next steps plus one reason each step might be wrong.
- 3Check federal law against a trusted source, teacher, adult, expert, or original document before you use it.
End-of-lesson quiz
Check what stuck
8 questions · Score saves to your progress.
Lesson help
Questions are best handled with a grown-up here.
For this age range, Tendril keeps freeform AI chat paused until parent/guardian consent and child-safe moderation are fully verified. Use the quiz, notes, and related lessons below, or ask a parent, guardian, teacher, or librarian to work through the question with you.
Progress saved locally in this browser. Sign in to sync across devices.
Related lessons
Keep going
Builders · 40 min
Laws Against Deepfakes
As of 2026, most US states have laws against malicious deepfakes — especially deepfake porn and political deepfakes..
Builders · 40 min
Why Misinformation Spreads So Fast
AI-generated misinformation goes viral because outrage and surprise drive shares — and AI is great at making both..
Builders · 40 min
Don't ask AI to find personal info on real people
Using AI to dig up someone's address, phone, or schedule is doxxing — and it's dangerous and often illegal.