The Image-based Autonomy project aims to capture young people’s experiences and perspectives around their use of digital technology, with a particular focus on image taking, sharing and editing.

The purpose of this project is to pilot effective approaches to meaningful online safety education, supporting young people to prevent and respond to image-based and deepfake abuse. The project uses a co-production model to design and deliver workshops and accompanying resources that will empower young people and the adults around them to be upstanders for image-based autonomy.

Project context

Respectful Relationships education has made huge strides in supporting children and young people to understand their rights to their body. As we become increasingly online, it is crucial we extend those rights to a person's image.

At Body Safety Australia, we have heard from schools and centres who are in states of distress about the use of 'nudify' apps to enact sexual violence against and between students. Where young people are using increasingly sophisticated technology to create deepfake graphic, violent and sexualised content of their peers. Where real-world harm has occurred online, and schools are ill-equipped to manage this new form of image-based abuse.

In this evolving landscape, we hope to push bodily autonomy conversations forward and strive for a world where image-based autonomy for all children and young people is a social norm.