Two students charged over AI-generated nude photos of classmates at Lancaster private school
Two male students at a Pennsylvania private school were charged with creating and sharing hundreds of AI-generated nude images of female classmates using generative image tools and Discord. The incident affected 60 victims, with 48 being school students under age 18, and prompted the school's leadership to resign after parents filed suit.
What happened
Two male students at Lancaster Country Day School used artificial intelligence to create hundreds of nude images of female classmates by digitally altering photos taken from the victims' social media profiles. The altered images and videos were exchanged between the two defendants in a private Discord chat room, with investigators discovering 347 images and videos depicting victims in varying levels of nudity.
The activity was discovered in November 2023 when the first student sent one of the altered images to a different Discord chat room containing other Lancaster Country Day School students, apparently in error. The images were later shared on a social platform, causing turmoil in the school community. Parents reported the incident to police in May 2024.
Reported impact
Sixty female victims were identified, with 48 being students at Lancaster Country Day School and 12 being acquaintances of students whose photos were used. All but one victim were under the age of 18.
The incident prompted the head of school and board president to resign in November 2024, a day after parents filed a lawsuit against the school.
Index analysis
The Lancaster County District Attorney determined that school officials were not required under state law to report the incident to ChildLine, the state's hotline for suspected child abuse, despite receiving a tip about the nude images in November 2023. School officials never notified police.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.