Is a fear of deepfakes making you uneasy? Learn why fake voices and videos cause anxiety, which precautions make sense and what to do if it happens.
One evening your aunt calls in a panic: "Darling, someone just rang in your voice, said you were in trouble and needed money urgently. Was that you?" You are sitting at home; you haven't called anyone. Luckily, your aunt rang you before sending any money. After you hang up, though, a chill settles inside you: Where did they get my voice? From my Instagram videos? Will they use my face too? What happens if one day a video appears in which I say something I never said? Fear of deepfakes is a new kind of anxiety that more and more people are experiencing as fake voices and images produced with artificial intelligence become widespread. In this article we talk about why this fear can be so unsettling, how to strike a balance between realistic precautions and being excessively on guard, and what you can do if you face such a situation.
What Is a Deepfake and Why Does It Feel So Frightening?
A deepfake is an image or recording of something that never actually happened, produced by imitating a person's face, voice or way of speaking with artificial intelligence tools. A process that only experts could carry out a few years ago can now be done with far more accessible tools. Short videos, voice messages and photos shared on social media can become raw material for these tools.
There are several psychological reasons why this technology feels more frightening than other digital threats:
It touches the most personal parts of identity. When our password is stolen, we lose an account; but our face and voice are who we are. Their use without permission can feel like a part of our body being taken from us.
It shakes the reassurance of "seeing is believing". For centuries people have trusted what they saw with their own eyes and heard with their own ears. Knowing that even a video or audio recording may be fake weakens our basic relationship with reality.
Control lies entirely with someone else. We can't know when, by whom or for what purpose it will be used. Uncontrollability and unpredictability are among the things that feed anxiety most.
Proving it seems hard. Saying "That's not me" feels as though it won't be enough when the other person believes the footage. The person is overwhelmed by the possibility of having to prove their innocence of something they didn't do.
What Kind of Anxiety Is the Fear of Deepfakes?
The fear of deepfakes is not a fear of an entirely imaginary danger. Fraud carried out with fake voices and images is real, and being careful is sensible. What makes the anxiety problematic is not the existence of the danger, but the overestimation of its likelihood and the person underestimating their own ability to cope.
This anxiety is usually fed by thought patterns such as:
- "It's bound to happen to me too."
- "If it happens, my life will be ruined and nobody will believe me."
- "I can't control anything; I'm completely defenceless."
Let's say you are a primary school teacher, and news has been shared in the parents' group that a teacher at another school was targeted with a fake video. From that day on you tense up when a video is being filmed on a tablet in class, you don't want your photo shared on the school's social media account, and in the evenings you search your name online. As the weeks pass, this checking turns into a routine; each search finds nothing, so you feel brief relief, and the next day you feel the need to check again. This cycle shows how anxiety feeds itself: checking brings relief, relief rewards the checking, and the anxiety stays in place because it is never put to the test.
How does this anxiety show itself?
- Constant unease about every piece of online content in which your face or voice appears
- Deleting old posts one by one, avoiding having your photo taken
- Stopping sending voice messages or making video calls
- Intense restlessness when calls come from unknown numbers
- Frequently searching for your name online to check
- Being unable to sleep after reading news on the subject, tension, palpitations
- Being unable to trust anything, thinking "Is this fake too?" even while watching a genuine video
On their own, these signs do not amount to a diagnosis. But when they narrow your life, for example when you can no longer appear in front of a camera even though your job requires you to be visible, they deserve attention.
Who Experiences Deepfake Anxiety Most Intensely?
For some people this anxiety rests on more concrete ground:
- Those who are visible because of their work: Teachers, healthcare workers, lawyers, shopkeepers who sell products through social media, or content creators
- Adults with elderly parents: The worry that their relatives could be defrauded with a fake voice
- Parents of teenagers: Those who fear their child's photos being used with ill intent
- People who have previously experienced cyberbullying or a public pile-on: The possibility of an old wound reopening
- Those generally prone to anxiety: People with low tolerance of uncertainty and a high need for control
In Turkey, phone scams that begin "We're the police, we're the prosecutor's office" or "Your son has had an accident" have been known for a long time. Adding a familiar voice imitated with artificial intelligence to these scenarios understandably increases the anxiety of people with elderly relatives in particular. We have discussed how unverified information and fake content in general amplify anxiety in our article on fake news and anxiety.
Coping With the Fear of Deepfakes: Between Sensible Precautions and Being Overly on Guard
The aim is not to erase yourself from the internet completely or to view every image with suspicion. The aim is to take a few realistic precautions and be able to let the rest go. Taking precautions reduces anxiety; but if the list of precautions never ends, it is no longer precaution talking but the anxiety itself.
1. Agree on a verification word within the family
Agree on a word or question that only you know with your elderly parents and close relatives. Saying "If someone calls in my voice asking for money, ask them this" both protects them and turns your anxiety into a concrete plan. Another simple rule: if money is requested over the phone, hang up and call back on the known number.
2. Manage your visibility consciously
Making your accounts private, reviewing who can see your long videos with sound, and not accepting follow requests from people you don't know are sensible precautions. Think of this not as a panicked clean-up but as a calm review carried out once a year.
3. Separate what you can control
Divide a sheet of paper in two. On one side, write down what is in your hands: my account settings, the verification system I have set up with my family, my sharing preferences. On the other, what is not: what other people will do, how technology will develop. Put your energy into the first list. For the second list, remind yourself: I don't have to solve this on my own; the law, the platforms and the people close to me are also part of this system.
4. Think the catastrophic scenario through to the end
Anxiety usually stops at the question "What if someone makes a fake video?" and goes no further. Complete the question: "If they do, what happens? What will I do? Who will I get help from?" Thinking the scenario through to the end, together with a plan, often reduces the fear created by uncertainty. The next section offers a framework for that plan.
5. Limit your news consumption
Reading about every new deepfake case leads you to perceive the risk as more widespread than it really is. Reading up on the subject once to inform yourself is useful; searching for new examples every day feeds the anxiety.
6. Don't give up on being visible
Leaving a job you love, avoiding the camera while teaching or no longer sending voice messages to your grandchildren because of this fear is the price anxiety takes from your life. Once you have taken sensible precautions, continuing to do the things you value narrows the space anxiety occupies.
7. Talk to your children and teenagers
Children and young people often encounter this technology before adults do; sometimes through apps that put a friend's face into a video as a joke. Rather than frightening them, talk with curiosity: Have you seen videos like this, where do you think the line lies between a joke and causing harm? Talking about why using someone else's face and voice without permission is hurtful, and why it matters who they share their own photos with, creates a more lasting awareness than bans. The most important message is this: if something like this happens to you or to a friend, you can come to me without feeling ashamed.
Your face and voice can be imitated; but the relationship that the people who know you have built with you has more layers than any software can copy.
If It Happens to You: What You Can Do in the First Hours
Nobody wants to face a situation like this. But knowing in advance what you will do eases the "There's nothing I can do" part of the anxiety.
- Keep the evidence. Before the content is removed, take screenshots and note the link, the account that shared it, and the date and time.
- Report it to the platform. Social media platforms have reporting channels for fake and unauthorised content.
- Inform those around you early. A short statement such as "Fake content is circulating in my name, please contact me" reduces its impact.
- Get legal support. You can file a complaint with the police or the public prosecutor's office, and seek advice from a lawyer.
- Don't stay alone with it. Tell someone you trust straight away. Shame pushes people into silence in situations like this; yet you are not the one who did something shameful.
After such an incident, it is an understandable reaction for a person to feel exposed, tainted or helpless. You can find the psychological effects of being publicly targeted covered in detail in our article on social media pile-ons.
When Should You Seek Professional Support?
A certain unease about technology is normal for most of us. However, talking to a mental health professional may be helpful in the following situations:
- If this fear has been occupying your mind for weeks and disrupting your sleep
- If, because of the anxiety, you have started to avoid your work, your social life or communication with your family
- If checking behaviours (searching your name, scanning accounts) take up hours each day
- If you have genuinely been targeted with fake content and cannot recover even though the incident is over
- If you are experiencing palpitations, shortness of breath or intense attacks of fear
After an incident like this, some people may experience intense shame and hopelessness along with thoughts of harming themselves. If you feel this way, please don't stay alone; in an emergency call 112 (emergency services) and ask someone you trust for support straight away.
You can find information about support options for intense anxiety and panic symptoms on our anxiety and panic page.
How Is the Fear of Deepfakes Addressed in Therapy?
The aim of therapy is not to convince the person that the risk doesn't exist; it is to help them build a relationship with the risk that is proportionate and doesn't narrow their life.
In the cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) approach, thoughts such as "It's bound to happen to me" and "If it happens, nobody will believe me" are examined. The focus is on a realistic assessment of likelihood and on answering the question "What would I do if the worst happened?"
Checking and avoidance behaviours are identified and gradually reduced. For example, for someone who searches their name many times a day, this frequency is brought down step by step; content they have been avoiding sharing is brought back into their life with sensible security settings.
Work is done on tolerating uncertainty. The future of technology is uncertain, and learning to live with this uncertainty weakens the main driving force of the anxiety.
Relationships with loved ones can also be addressed in therapy. Some people constantly warn their parents or children in order to soothe their own anxiety, saying on every call "Be careful, they could imitate my voice." These warnings are well-intentioned but can also increase tension within the family. Giving the warning once, clearly, and then learning to trust helps both the person and their loved ones to relax.
When working with people who have actually been targeted, a trauma-sensitive approach is taken. Feelings such as shame, anger, a sense of betrayal and loss of trust are addressed in a safe setting, and the person is supported in reclaiming their identity and reputation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I delete all my photos and videos from social media?
For most people this isn't necessary. Reviewing your account privacy settings, limiting content that is open to people you don't know, and agreeing on a verification method with your family are sensible precautions that can be taken without narrowing your life.
Will people realise that a fake video isn't really me?
People who know you often notice inconsistencies; tools for detecting fake content are also developing. Making an early, open statement makes it easier for those around you to believe you.
How can I protect my elderly mother from fake voice scams?
Without causing alarm, set short, clear rules: if someone asks for money on the phone, hang up and call me on the number you know. Agreeing on a verification word between you also provides extra reassurance.
Because of deepfake news, I can't trust any video. Is this normal?
This reaction is entirely understandable. Instead of questioning every piece of content, identifying a few sources you trust and waiting before sharing anything suspicious can reduce mental fatigue.
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Eda Erkan Alapala
Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.
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