GoKawiilTwo teens behind one of the earliest US high school deepfake scandals will be sentenced this week, but the case is unlikely to resolve families’ concerns about the school’s significantly delayed response.
Earlier this month, the 16-year-old boys admitted to using AI tools to “nudify” images of 48 female classmates at Lancaster Country Day School in Pennsylvania, along with 12 other young female acquaintances.
The incident could have been caught early, after the school learned of the images following an anonymous report to a state-run tipline. But officials—who at the time weren’t legally required to act—failed to notify parents or police for six months, as the number of victims continued to grow. In total, the boys created at least 347 AI-generated sexualized images and videos before they were stopped.
Although adults have gone to prison for similar AI crimes, the legal landscape for teens who increasingly target classmates by creating and sharing AI CSAM remains unclear. Since all but one victim was under 18, the teens face 59 felony counts of sexual abuse. They also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex abuse of children and possession of obscene material.
On Wednesday, a juvenile court will decide the consequences, a sentencing that could reverberate through high schools—and even middle schools—across the country. A local Lancaster news outlet noted that sentencing will be based on recommendations from the juvenile probation department, which typically “focuses on rehabilitation and includes supervision until age 21 if it serves the public interest.”
For parents of some victims, the students’ sentencing will be viewed as a stepping stone in their fight to hold the school accountable. On Monday, Nadeem Bezar, an attorney and partner at Kline & Specter, told USA Today that he is “representing at least 10 impacted families in a lawsuit against the school, which they intend to file after perpetrators’ sentencing.”