Deepfakes and other forms of synthetic media pose growing safety risks for adolescents, yet evidence on students' exposure and related behaviours remains limited. This study evaluates the impact of Day of AI Australia's workshop-based intervention designed to improve AI literacy and conceptual understanding among Australian secondary students (Years 7-10). Using a mixed-methods approach with pre- and post-intervention surveys (N=205 pre; N=163 post), we analyse changes in students' ability to identify AI in everyday tools, their understanding of AI ethics, training, and safety, and their interest in STEM-related careers. Baseline data revealed notable synthetic media risks: 82.4% of students reported having seen deepfakes, 18.5% reported sharing them, and 7.3% reported creating them. Results show higher self-reported AI knowledge and confidence after the intervention, alongside improved recognition of AI in widely used platforms such as Netflix, Spotify, and TikTok. This pattern suggests a shift from seeing these tools as merely "algorithm-based" to recognising them as AI-driven systems. Students also reported increased interest in STEM careers post-workshop; however, effect sizes were small, indicating that sustained approaches beyond one-off workshops may be needed to influence longer-term aspirations. Overall, the findings support scalable AI literacy programs that pair foundational AI concepts with an explicit emphasis on synthetic media safety.

翻译：深度伪造及其他形式的合成媒体对青少年构成日益增长的安全风险，然而关于学生接触此类媒体及相关行为的证据仍然有限。本研究评估了"澳大利亚人工智能日"基于研讨会的干预措施对提升澳大利亚中学生（7-10年级）人工智能素养和概念理解能力的影响。采用混合研究方法，通过干预前后调查（前测N=205；后测N=163），我们分析了学生在识别日常工具中人工智能应用、理解人工智能伦理、训练与安全知识，以及对STEM相关职业兴趣方面的变化。基线数据揭示了显著的合成媒体风险：82.4%的学生表示曾观看过深度伪造内容，18.5%曾分享此类内容，7.3%曾参与制作。结果显示，干预后学生自我报告的人工智能知识水平和信心均有提升，同时提高了对Netflix、Spotify和TikTok等广泛使用平台中人工智能应用的识别能力。这一模式表明学生认知从将这些工具视为单纯的"基于算法"系统转变为认识到它们是人工智能驱动的系统。学生还报告了研讨会对STEM职业兴趣的提升；然而效应值较小，表明可能需要超越单次研讨会的持续干预措施来影响长期职业志向。总体而言，研究结果支持将基础人工智能概念与合成媒体安全明确结合的可扩展人工智能素养项目。