Dec 6, 2023 3 min read

Legal experts say faked sexual images of real people are so new that federal law dealing with the problem is lagging.

The experience of a New Jersey high school should, however, motivate Congress and/or state legislatures to implement strong measures and penalties to battle this potentially destructive, horrific and unconscionable enemy of innocence and decency.

An intentionally inflicted, unrelenting nemesis such as the one in question can push a young, immature, fearful and confused mind to want to resort to suicide to escape his or her personal torment and nightmare, in much the same way bullying has claimed too many young lives.

The subject in question is not one people prefer to hear about and read about around Thanksgiving and leading up to Christmas, but really, every day is the right time when something so horrible and evil needs to be acknowledged, attacked and eradicated.

Meanwhile, an article in the Nov. 4-5 Wall Street Journal rightly left no suggestion that the situation ought to be condoned in any way or, at least in connection with the young, be regarded as part of some rite of growing up.

“When girls at Westfield High School in New Jersey found out boys were sharing nude photos of them in group chats, they were shocked, and not only because it was an invasion of privacy. The images weren’t real,” the Journal article began.

“Students said one or more classmates used an online tool powered by artificial intelligence to make the images, then shared them with others. The discovery has sparked uproar in Westfield, an affluent town outside New York City.”

According to some Westfield parents, their daughters have felt humiliated and powerless, and worry about damage to the girls should the images surface later.

In its report, the Journal explained how the secrecy over what was happening unraveled. Sophomore boys at Westfield High were acting “weird” on Oct. 16, whispering among themselves and being quieter than normal, said one mom, recounting what her daughter, a classmate, told her.

“Girls started asking questions, the mother said. Four days later, one boy told some of the girls what all the whispering was about: At least one student had used an AI-powered website to make pornographic images using girls’ photos found online, then shared them with other boys in group chats. Girls at Westfield reported the situation to school administrators.”

The Journal said several girls were told by school administrators that some boys had identified them in the generated images.

One girl who was told that her photo was used recounted how some girls had said they were uncomfortable having to attend school with someone they believed had created and shared the images.

“We’re aware there are creepy guys out there,” she said, “but you’d never think one of your classmates would violate you like this.”

Jon Bramnick, a New Jersey state senator who represents Westfield, is co-sponsoring a measure to criminalize the dissemination of such material.

For years, people have had the capability to doctor images with Photoshop and similar software but, as the Journal pointed out, new AI image-makers make it easy to produce entirely fabricated photos.

Westfield’s experience is delivering the message that the perceived newness of faked sexual images of real people already is too old.