MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP, N.J. (WABC) — A New Jersey township school board is acknowledging the concerns of parents after state police arrested a high school student for allegedly creating and sharing nude AI images of his classmates.
A 17-year-old student will no longer be able to sit in class with his classmates at Montgomery High School due to an alleged criminal conviction.
In a message to parents, the school district said the inappropriate images were created outside of school hours and away from school grounds.
According to investigators, the boy was arrested by state police in March and charged with harassment, possession and distribution of child sexual exploitation and abuse material for allegedly creating and sharing nude AI-generated images of his classmates.
Experts say parents need to be on the front lines of protecting their children from malicious activity online.
Ben Halpert of SavvyCyberKids.org said, “There are teenagers who drive. Just because they might drive on the sidewalk and hit someone doesn’t mean they should.” “So we need to teach technology lessons in a similar way. Just because you can use an app to create nude images of your classmates doesn’t mean you should. It’s all about teaching kids good judgment when it comes to technology.”
Last year, then-Governor Phil Murphy signed the Take It Down Act after a high school student was subjected to similar abuse.
Her mother, Dorota Mani, argued for protections that would require media platforms to remove the images. Mani said schools need to take an active role in educating students against the abuse and misuse of technology.
“So I think at this point, schools have a real responsibility to their students. I’m not just talking about girls, but boys as well,” Mani said. “So while we need to teach girls that they are worthy of respect and responsibility, we also need to teach boys about the ethical use of AI and the very real civil and criminal consequences that can arise.”
Because the student is a minor, the Montgomery Township School District is required by law to protect his identity and cannot comment on the incident, but said in a letter to parents that it is working with law enforcement and providing counseling to affected students.
The company is also actively working to strengthen education on digital safety, responsible technology use, and risks related to artificial intelligence and social media.
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