Society told girls not to walk alone, so they stopped. Society told girls to cover up in school, so they did. Now, society tells girls to be careful online. But when deepfake porn turns them into victims, what’s left? To disappear from social media entirely?
Deepfake pornography, defined as the incident “where someone’s likeness is imposed into sexually explicit images with artificial intelligence” is becoming an increasingly common threat to girls and women.
Without their consent, their faces are stolen, manipulated and turned into content that, in 2023, was receiving 17 million hits per month. That same year, 98% of deepfake videos were pornographic.
In 2025, more and more women are becoming victims to the use of deepfakes, and nothing seems to be changing. With this new form of gender-based violence growing in the digital age, we need to begin advocating for more protection.
Our generation grew up hearing that “the internet is forever.” But what’s also permanent is the trauma victims endure. The images may never truly disappear, and neither does the fear or violation that the victims feel.
Francesca Mani, a 15-year-old student from Westfield, N.J., became an anti-deepfake advocate after experiencing it herself and sharing her story with news outlets like Time Magazine and 60 Minutes.
She was 14 when her male classmates targeted her and her peers. When she left the principal’s office, the boys were laughing at the crying girls. Her mother filed a police report. None of the boys were charged.
In New Jersey, there is no law prohibiting the creation and distribution of deepfake pornography. On March 17, Gov. Phil Murphy vetoed a bill that would have criminalized it, citing concerns over language and constitutional challenges. In the U.S. as a whole, only a handful of states have taken action.
Meanwhile, Mani has taken it upon herself to fight back. She recently led a digital safety workshop at Kent Place School in Summit, educating young women about the risks they face. But she shouldn’t have to do this alone.
Laws need to catch up. We need to stop placing the burden of protection on girls and start holding perpetrators accountable. How many more women must be violated before they are taken seriously? How much longer will society tell them to hide?
It’s not enough to tell girls to be careful. It’s time to tell lawmakers to act.
ajones11@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of Pexels
