New Deepfake Law Protects Celebrities But Not Your Kids

What's Happening

Congress is moving forward with the No FAKES Act, a new law designed to stop unauthorized deepfakes of celebrities and performers. While this sounds like progress, there's a critical problem: the legislation does nothing to protect regular people, including your children. As lawmakers focus on celebrity likeness rights, the real victims of deepfake abuse get left behind.

The Details

The No FAKES Act specifically targets people who profit from creating unauthorized AI-generated images, videos, or audio of artists and public figures. It treats deepfakes primarily as an intellectual property issue. If someone creates a fake video of a famous singer without permission, that celebrity can sue under this law.

But here's what the law doesn't cover: a high school student whose face gets swapped into explicit content. A parent whose image appears in a fake video spreading lies in their community. A teenager targeted by classmates using free deepfake apps. These scenarios are happening right now, in communities everywhere, and they're increasing rapidly.

The technology behind deepfakes doesn't care if you're famous or not. Free apps and websites make it shockingly easy to create convincing fake images and videos of anyone. Yet our legal system is building protections around fame and fortune instead of basic human dignity and safety.

Who Is Affected

Teenagers face the highest risk right now. Non-consensual deepfakes are being weaponized in schools for bullying, harassment, and revenge. Girls are disproportionately targeted with sexually explicit fake images. Many victims have no legal recourse at the federal level.

Parents and everyday adults should also pay attention. Deepfakes are being used in scams, harassment campaigns, and reputation attacks against regular people. Without federal protections, victims must navigate a patchwork of state laws that vary wildly or don't exist at all.

What You Should Do Right Now

1. Talk with your kids about deepfakes this week. Explain that AI can create fake images of real people. Make sure they know to tell you immediately if someone creates or shares fake content of them.

Review privacy settings on all social media accounts. Limit who can see photos and videos of your family. The less public imagery available, the harder it is to create convincing fakes.

Screenshot and save evidence immediately if your family becomes a deepfake target. Document everything before content gets deleted. This creates a record for potential legal action.

Contact your school's administration to ask about their deepfake policies. Many schools have no plan in place. Push for clear consequences and support systems.

Reach out to your congressional representatives. Tell them deepfake protections must cover everyone, not just celebrities. Real change requires public pressure.

The Bigger Picture

This legislative gap reflects a broader pattern in tech policy: solutions get designed for the powerful and well-connected first. Meanwhile, families deal with the consequences of rapidly evolving threats with outdated or nonexistent protections. Staying informed about these policy debates matters because laws shape how much power you have to protect your family online.

How GetCyberRight Can Help

Our Kids Safety Hub provides specific resources for families navigating AI threats and deepfake risks targeting minors. You'll find conversation guides for talking with children at different ages, templates for reporting deepfakes to schools and platforms, and updated information on state-level protections that might apply to your family. We're tracking this issue closely and translating complex policy into actions you can actually take.