Aussie Teen Held For Sharing Fake Explicit AI Photos Of 50 Schoolgirls

A teenage boy from Victoria, Australia, was arrested after he allegedly circulated fake explicit photographs of about 50 schoolgirls. The photos of the girls, all from the same school, were reportedly taken from their private social media profiles, and edited using artificial intelligence to create nude images and shared online. The school's principal Andrew Neal told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), “[The girls] should be able to learn and go about their business without this kind of nonsense." The suspected teen has been released pending further inquiries.

About 50 Girls Targeted In Explicit Photo Scandal

On June 8, Emily, a trauma therapist and mother of a student at the school, told ABC that she found out about the graphic images being circulated online and immediately rushed to pick her 16-year-old up from a sleepover. While her daughter was not targeted by the scandal, the fear still made her "sick to the stomach," she described. 

Emily's daughter was shocked when she found out about the ordeal with her schoolmates. “She was very upset, and she was throwing up. It was incredibly graphic," the mother said. “I mean they are children … The photos were mutilated, and so graphic. I almost threw up when I saw it. Fifty girls is a lot. It is really disturbing,” Emily said.

Reportedly, all of the targeted girls' social media profiles were private. "There’s just that feeling of ... will this happen again? It’s very traumatising. “How can we reassure them that once measures are in place, it won’t happen again?” Emily questioned. The school's acting principal Kevin Richardson assured that the school "is taking this matter very seriously."

Teenager Arrested

After contacting the Victoria police, Kevin Richardson said, “The well-being of the students and their families is of paramount importance to the school and is being addressed. All students affected are being offered support from our wellbeing staff.” He said the school had not been contacted by police regarding anyone arrested about the matter.

The police found out that several images were sent via an online platform on June 7 to a person in the Melton area, which is about a 15-minute drive from the targeted school. One teenage boy was arrested concerning the incident but had been released pending further inquiries. The police said, "The investigation remains ongoing."