Everyone’s doing the 80s social media trend — but it’s a dangerous move

Have you taken part in the nostalgic trend? (Picture: Getty Images) Spandex leggings, shoulder pads, acid-wash jeans, perms and mullets were all the rage in the 80s. But, recently that nostalgic look has flooded our Instagram and X feeds, as the latest AI trend takes off. Social media users are feeding their pictures into ChatGPT, asking it to transform them into imagined throwback photos, complete with the big hair, neon clothes and roller rink backdrops. All you have to do is attach a photo of yourself and tell the AI bot what to keep and what to change. So, you might ask it to keep your recognisable face, skin tone, age and hair colour, but ask it to imagine you in 1985. You can ask it to put you in front of a motel or the Golden Gate Bridge, give you an 80s hairstyle and finish the picture with a subtle grain to make it look older. The trend taps into the wider desire for nostalgia-driven social media trends, after searches for ‘2016’ surged by 452% in the first week of this year, with users longing for what some described as the peak of digital culture; 2016 was all about Snapchat filters, Kylie Lip Kits, the mannequin challenge, and Pokemon Go. I opened ChatGPT and saw the trending 80’s prompt. “Using my uploaded photo, show me what I would have looked like around 1985. Preserve my identity, facial features, skin tone, age, and recognizable appearance. Reimagine my hair, clothing, accessories, and surroundings with… pic.twitter.com/LyIKbKsczF— The hair plug 🇨🇦🇳🇬 (@Msmenalicious) September 9, 2026 But while the 80s social media post is the latest dose of nostalgia to grace our feeds, hopping on the AI trend isn’t as harmless as it seems. James Vincent, CEO of The Digital Resistance, a company aiming to protect the vulnerable from AI threats, tells Metro that while you think one simple photo can’t cause a problem, you’d be wrong. Yes, you’re killing the planet ‘One person making one image isn’t the problem,’ James tells Metro. ‘It’s when millions of people join a trend and generate image after image until they get the perfect one. That quickly adds up. Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. ‘The strange thing about AI images is that something incredibly resource intensive can feel completely effortless. You press a button, wait a few seconds and suddenly you’re an action figure or standing next to your younger self. ‘What you don’t see are the data centres, computer chips, electricity and cooling systems working behind the scenes.’ James explains that AI uses powerful computer chips which perform huge numbers of calculations and generate heat. It’s like when your laptop gets hot after using it for too many tasks or for too long, except on a much larger scale. ‘Imagine buildings filled with thousands of powerful processors working around the clock,’ he adds. ‘That heat has to go somewhere. Data centres need cooling systems and some of those use significant amounts of water. ‘So, that fun image on your phone does have a very real physical footprint somewhere.’ The United Nations University reports that the electricity-associated water footprint is about two tablespoons for each AI image made. The AI safety expert adds that, even back in 2023, an estimated 34 million AI images were already being generated every single day. And, with AI image generation growing enormously since then, it gives you some idea of the scale we’re dealing with. AI platform Imagera claims that 80 million AI images are generated per day in 2026, while 150 million people use image generators monthly. So, it’s not difficult to see how AI could put a strain on water sources. You’re handing your image to a tool we know little about This is where things get even more worrying. ‘This is probably what concerns me most from a Digital Resistance point of view,’ James says. ‘We’re becoming incredibly comfortable handing high quality photographs of our faces, children and families to AI tools we sometimes know very little about. ‘At the same time, we’re entering a world where convincing fake photographs of real people can be created in seconds. ‘That has implications for scams, impersonation, deepfakes and misinformation.’ It also makes it increasingly difficult to tell what is real and authentic and what isn’t. What to ask yourself before doing this trend Ultimately, James says that uploading a photograph doesn’t automatically mean your face is permanently stored or will appear in somebody else’s images. But, you should be mindful that you’re handing that photograph to another company. ‘How long they keep it and what they can do with it depends on their privacy policy, terms and your settings,’ he explains. ‘Before uploading a photograph, particularly one of a child, ask who owns the tool, where the image is going, how long it will be kept and whether you can delete it afterwards. ‘We’ve spent years telling people to protect their personal information online, yet an AI trend can convince us to hand over one of the most personal things we have, our own face, in seconds.’ Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk Arrow MORE: Someone tried to develop biological weapons using Claude Arrow MORE: 80s rock icon reveals he killed a man with mortar bomb in Vietnam War Arrow MORE: Former AI worker says technology could kill us all – here’s how it would