Kids facing charges for AI material featuring peers

[Jim Burton]

https://www.kcrg.com/2025/12/04/three-i ... ne-images/

FREMONT COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) - Three teenagers in southwestern Iowa are facing more than 30 charges after authorities say they created and distributed obscene material of minors using artificial intelligence.

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office received several reports last month from parents and school staff about an image being shared among students at a local school.

An investigation found the three teens created images of several juveniles “in a state of undress” using AI and were sharing them on social media, authorities said.

The sheriff’s office says the images were non-consensual and digitally altered using AI.

A 15-year-old and a 16-year-old face charges including first-degree harassment, sexual exploitation of a minor, and dissemination of obscene material. Another 15-year-old faces charges including first-degree harassment and sexual exploitation of a minor.

[BLueRibbon]

Cases like these should be treated as bullying, not a criminal justice matter.

However, to be effective, actual cases of bullying need to be taken more seriously by schools and parents.