We did not invent these steps. They come from the published guidance of NCMEC (the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children), the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, and the FBI. What we did is put them in order, in plain language, for a parent having the worst day of the year.
Read this first. If the image is sexual and someone is threatening your child with it ("send more or I post this"), that is sextortion. It is a federal crime with its own playbook. Do not pay. Do not send anything. Do not delete the messages. Report it now: FBI at report.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI, and NCMEC's CyberTipline at 1-800-843-5678. Then come back here.
Phase 1 · The First Hour
Contain and capture
1
Do not forward the image. To anyone. For any reason.
Not to warn another parent. Not to show a friend. Not to keep a copy in a group chat. Forwarding spreads the exact harm your child is living through. And if the image is sexually explicit and shows a minor, forwarding it can be a crime, even with good intentions.
2
Do not delete anything.
Not the messages. Not the DMs. Not your child's account. Not the contact who sent it. Deleting feels like protecting your child. It is actually destroying the evidence that gets the content removed and the person responsible held accountable. Mute and hide things from your child's view instead.
Why: platforms, schools, and police all need the original trail. Deleted may mean gone for good.
3
Screenshot everything, with the URL bar visible.
The post. The profile that shared it. The comments. The share count. The date and time. On a computer, capture the full page including the address bar. On a phone, screenshot the post, then the profile page. The URL and the username matter as much as the image.
4
Write down what you know, in one private place.
Every URL where it appears. Every username involved. When it was first seen. The names of anyone known to have seen or shared it. Save the original file, if you have it, to a folder your child will not stumble into. This is your evidence inventory. Everything that follows uses it.
5
Run the image through the checker. Generate your Evidence Kit.
Our free image check reads the file for AI markers and produces a timestamped analysis report, plus the pre-written school letter, platform takedown request, and law enforcement summary. It runs on your device. The image is never uploaded.
6
Stay steady with your child. Do not take their phone.
Their biggest fear is being blamed. Confiscating their device confirms it, and it teaches them to hide the next incident. Child-safety organizations are unanimous on this point. Say it plainly: "This is not your fault. You did the right thing telling me. We handle it together."
Phase 2 · The First 24 Hours
Report and remove
7
If the image is nude, partially nude, or sexual: use Take It Down.
NCMEC's free tool at takeitdown.ncmec.org covers anyone under 18, and AI-generated images count. It fingerprints the image on your own device so participating platforms can find and remove it automatically. Anonymous. The image never leaves your phone. For adults, the same system is StopNCII.org.
8
Report it to the platform. Federal law is on your side.
Use the platform's own reporting flow. Our Get Help page lists the exact path for each app, and your Evidence Kit generates the report text. Under the federal TAKE IT DOWN Act, platforms must remove reported non-consensual intimate imagery, AI-generated included, within 48 hours of a valid request. Write down the date and time you file.
9
Report to the school. In writing. Today.
Even if it happened off campus, the students involved and the fallout are on it. Use the school letter from your Evidence Kit. It requests written documentation of the incident and a follow-up within five school days. Conversations evaporate. A written report starts a record the school has to act on.
10
Escalate when it crosses the line.
Sexually explicit image of a minor: NCMEC CyberTipline, CyberTipline.org or 1-800-843-5678, plus local police. Threats or blackmail: FBI at ic3.gov. Bring your evidence inventory and the law enforcement summary from the Evidence Kit. It puts what an officer needs on one page.
11
Do not confront the kid who made it. Or their parents.
Every instinct says otherwise. Do it anyway: stay away. Confrontation tips them off to delete evidence, invites retaliation against your child, and can compromise the school's or police's investigation. You already started the process that works. Let it work.
Phase 3 · The First Week
Support and recover
12
Get your child real support. The image was fake. The harm is not.
A school counselor or therapist within the week. Sooner if they are struggling. If your child talks about hopelessness or self-harm, do not wait: call or text 988, or text HOME to 741741. Free, confidential, 24/7.
13
Hold the school to the record.
No written documentation within five school days? Send a follow-up letter naming your original report date. Keep every reply. A paper trail is what turns "we're looking into it" into action.
14
Set a re-upload watch.
Run a reverse image search weekly for a while: Google Lens or TinEye. Set a Google Alert for your child's name. If you used Take It Down, participating platforms keep matching the fingerprint automatically. The manual check catches the rest.
15
Rebuild the routine.
Back to practice. Back to friends. Back to normal at your child's pace. The goal is not pretending it didn't happen. The goal is your child knowing it didn't get to define them. That is what Bully Proof means.
Keep this protocol. Print it. Put it somewhere you hope you never look. The families who handle this well are not calmer people. They are people with a plan on the fridge.