A New Jersey teen and her mother are slamming a high school’s decision to allow a male student to return to school after he allegedly used artificial intelligence to create child porn.
Francesca Mani, 14, said Westfield High School officials allowed the boy back, although she said his presence made her “very uncomfortable and scared” after learning that fabricated nude images of her were shared online.
The incident came to light on October 16, although the AI images were reportedly created over the summer. Francesca said she didn’t know about the images herself until October, when another student at the school told numerous girls that the explicit images were circulating in group chats and on social media, shared by multiple male students.
“I realized I should not be sad, but I should be mad. So, I came home, and I told my mom, and I told her that we have to do something about this because it is unfair to girls, and it’s just not right,” Francesca told “Good Morning America.”
Police are now investigating the incident but it’s unclear at this time, what, if any, action was taken, aside from a short suspension before the boy returned to school. Francesca said she reported the images to school officials, who saidnothing could be done and that Snapchat images would disappear within seconds.
“[The official] also mentioned that I should not worry because Snapchat only lasts for three to five seconds, which we all know you can save it, you can screenshot it, somebody else can take a picture of that picture,” she said.
Francesca’s mother, Doritos Mani, told NewsNation that the school should have handled the incident better.
“I’m very disappointed as a parent of Westfield High School. I believe the way that it has been handled is just unacceptable on many levels,” she said.
A school spokesperson declined to comment on the investigation but acknowledged that the school learned about the accusations in October.
“The WHS Counseling Department met individually with students seeking support and WHS administration and counseling department met with the entire grade level in small groups to discuss the incident, provide support, and detail district policies related to inappropriate use of technology,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Francesca and her mother added that they have not seen the actual images and do not know of any other victims who have seen them.
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