Artificial intelligence did not create misinformation, disinformation or conspiracy belief. But it is accelerating the problem, spreading beliefs more quickly and at scale, as well as making them more believable. Through my work as a commissioner for the commission into countering online conspiracies in schools, I have seen how quickly this issue is becoming central to children’s online lives. The risk is twofold. First, AI allows individuals and organisations to create fake content at a speed they could not before. Second, it allows them to do so with a level of realism that was previously much harder to achieve. New reality A fake AI image can look like evidence, and a deepfake, using advanced AI to realistically recreate likeness, creates even greater potential to deceive and can turn a rumour into something that feels authentic. This is the new reality of the online world. It is also reflected in the commission’s 2026 research insights. Focus groups and polling with parents, teachers and young people show that AI is increasingly seen as a driving force behind fake content online, and often as shorthand for it. While the UK government plans to enact a social media ban for under-16s, this won’t come into force until next year and even then, won’t remove the risks of AI-generated content for children in every online space. AI generated images or videos made to seem real and deepfakes were the two most common forms of misleading content that young people reported seeing online. As one teacher put it: “It’s the AI generated videos… there’s nothing teaching them about real or fake, or identifying it.” One pupil described this content as “basically everywhere”, despite having “rarely” seen it before. At Internet Matters, our report informed or overwhelmed? further highlights the prevalence of this issue. Twenty-seven per cent of children reported believing a fake or AI-generated story, while a further 41 percent thought they may have done so. Collapse of trust This is not harmless. It is already affecting people’s ability to distinguish fact from fiction online. Eighty-five per cent of school staff, 78 per cent of parents and 71 per cent of young people said it is now harder to tell what is real and fake online. Children are aware of the consequences, and one 13-year-old very succinctly said “I think people can use AI to influence the views of other people and that can be bad”. Believing this content can also leave children feeling embarrassed (10 per cent), confused (30 per cent) and less trusting of the news (31 per cent). The collapse of trust is of particular concern and shows why AI is now a safeguarding issue, not just a technological one. The task is to help children and young people build the habits they need to navigate an online world where images, videos, search results and chatbot answers can all appear authoritative while being misleading, manipulated or false. But we should be careful not to make this yet another responsibility placed on already stretched teachers and parents. Schools and school communities cannot solve a technology-wide problem on their own. They need practical support, trusted resources and clear guidance. The government’s curriculum and assessment review is a crucial opportunity to tackle this issue. Its implementation must ensure that AI and media literacy are embedded across school life, from primary onwards. Preparation is key This cannot be treated as a niche digital skills issue, or something reserved for older pupils. Children are encountering AI generated content long before they are old enough to understand how it has been made or why it may have been shared. Families must also be part of the conversation. Parents and carers may feel unsure about AI themselves, but they remain central to children’s digital lives. Parents need to be equipped with information to navigate the rapidly changing online environment, and schools need support to engage families constructively, so that children hear consistent messages from the adults around them. That is why I am particularly encouraged by the commission’s current qualitative research into parental engagement, which will report this autumn. AI is part of children’s present and future. The focus now needs to be on how we prepare them properly for the world that AI is already shaping?