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Medium reported severity Involving minors Criminal Charges

Pennsylvania police charge a student with harassment after reported AI videos of freshman girls; district says an app animated their photos

In December 2025 a high school in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, told families about an AI-generated video reported to depict several students inappropriately. Parents told the Philadelphia Inquirer that five freshman girls were told by boys that a male classmate had made sexual videos of them; the girls never saw the videos. The parents say police told them the classmate acknowledged making videos of the girls dancing in thong bikinis with an app later deleted from his phone. A January 2026 district message, which the district says was co-written by the police, said a student used an app that animates publicly available photos to make them appear to move and dance, and that no evidence of anything inappropriate was found. The township police said they had investigated the possible use of AI to generate non-consensual sexualized imagery of multiple juveniles and charged a juvenile with harassment. One mother said everyone stared at her daughter at school and that she felt no one believed her. The app is unnamed and the videos were not recovered.

AI system
Unidentified video tool (suspected)
Occurred
Dec 2025
Reported
9 December 2025
Event location
United States
What the AI did
Depicted or impersonated the person
Reported harm
Psychological Distress
Whose AI use
Someone else’s AI use
Setting
Education · Privacy
Evidence
AI involvement suspected · Causal attribution alleged · 5 sources
8 claims: 1 disputed, 7 reported. 3 open questions
People reported harmed
At least 5 people

AI system as recorded: An unnamed app that animates still photos, which a student used on publicly available photos of classmates to make videos of them moving and dancing; the police describe the case as the possible use of AI to generate sexualized imagery

What Happened

What the girls were told. According to parents of two of the victims, speaking anonymously to the Philadelphia Inquirer, five freshman girls at a Delaware County, Pennsylvania, high school were told by boys in early December 2025 that a male classmate had made videos depicting them sexually. The girls and their parents never saw the videos. The principal wrote to families about an AI-generated video that was reported to depict several students in an inappropriate manner and said the police had been notified.

What the investigation found. The parents say the police told them the classmate acknowledged making videos of the girls dancing in thong bikinis, that the app he used had been deleted from his phone and the videos were not on it, and that the police did not subpoena the app or social media companies. A district message of 16 January 2026, which a district spokesperson said was co-written by the police, said a student had taken publicly available photos of other students and used an app that animates images to make them appear to move and dance, and that no evidence shared with law enforcement depicted anything inappropriate. The township police said in a press release that, after being alerted to the possible use of AI to generate non-consensual sexualized imagery of multiple juveniles, they investigated with the county District Attorney's Office and charged a juvenile with harassment; the charge was announced on 23 January.

The girls' experience. One mother said everyone was staring at her daughter when she walked into school the next morning, and that her daughter felt no one believed her. Parents said their daughters were offered little support.

Disputes and limits. The district says the alleged images were never discovered and that its and the police department's investigations found no evidence the images remain or were shared. The app is unnamed, and whether the videos were sexual is disputed. In April 2026 the school board prohibited the non-consensual use of generative AI to create sexualized content involving another person.

Reported harm

According to parents, five freshman girls were told a classmate had made sexual videos of them from their photos; one mother says everyone stared at her daughter at school and she felt no one believed her. The police describe possible AI-generated sexualized imagery of multiple juveniles; the district says no inappropriate content was found.

How Harm Occurred

A student used an app that animates still photos on publicly available photos of classmates to make videos of them; word spread among students that the girls had been depicted sexually, and the girls faced attention and disbelief at school.

Outcome

Unknown

The township police charged a juvenile with harassment after an investigation with the Delaware County District Attorney's Office, announced on 23 January 2026; the outcome is not reported. In April 2026 the school board prohibited the non-consensual use of generative AI to create sexualized content involving another person.

What remains unknown

  • Which app the classmate used and what the videos showed; the police did not subpoena the app and the videos were not recovered.
  • Whether the videos were sexual, as the girls were told, or showed dancing in bikinis, as the parents say the police described.
  • Whether the videos were shared beyond the classmates who described them, and the outcome of the juvenile charge.

What the evidence supports

AI involvement: suspected. A district message that its spokesperson says was co-written by the police states that a student used an app that animates publicly available photos of other students to make them appear to move and dance, and the parents say the police told them the classmate acknowledged making videos of the girls with an app. The township police describe the case as the possible use of AI to generate non-consensual sexualized imagery of multiple juveniles and charged a juvenile with harassment. The app is not named, the videos were not recovered, and whether they were sexual is disputed between the parents and the district.

8 claims: 1 disputed, 7 reported. What the statuses mean

Reported In early December 2025 the high school's principal wrote to families about an AI-generated video that was reported to depict several students in an inappropriate manner, saying the families of the students involved had been contacted and the township police notified.

Causal attribution. The principal's email as quoted by 6abc; it relays a report and does not say the school saw the video.

  • 6abc.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'I am writing to address concerns and rumors regarding an AI-generated video that was reported to depict several of our students in an inappropriate manner,'; 'The principal said families of the students involved have been contacted and provided with support.'; 'The email also stated that the school immediately began an internal investigation and notified'
Reported According to parents of two of the victims, five freshman girls were told in early December by boys that a male classmate had made videos depicting them sexually; the girls and their parents never saw the videos.

Causal attribution. The mothers' account to the Inquirer.

  • inquirer.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'five freshman girls first heard they were victims of deepfakes on Dec. 2, according to parents of two of the victims who requested anonymity to protect their daughters’ identities.'; 'They said boys told their daughters that a male classmate had made videos depicting them sexually.'; 'The girls and their parents never saw the videos.'
Reported The parents said the police told them the classmate acknowledged making videos of the girls dancing in thong bikinis, that the app he used had been deleted from his phone and the videos were not on it, and that the police did not subpoena the app or social media companies.

Causal attribution. The parents' relay of what the police told them; the police declined to comment to the Inquirer.

  • inquirer.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'The male classmate acknowledged making videos of the girls dancing in thong bikinis, the parents said police told them. But the app he used was deleted from his phone, and the videos were not on it, the police told them.'; 'The police told parents they did not subpoena the app or any social media companies, making it impossible to know what was created.'
Reported A district message of 16 January 2026, which a district spokesperson said was co-written by the police, said a student had taken publicly available photos of other students and used an app that animates images to make them appear to move and dance, and that no evidence shared with law enforcement depicted anything inappropriate.

Causal attribution. The district's message (co-written with the police, per its spokesperson) as quoted by the Inquirer; CBS quotes the same email.

  • inquirer.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'had taken “publicly available” photos of other students and “used an app that animates images, making them appear to move and dance.”'; 'the alleged images were never discovered and the district’s message was cowritten by'; '“No evidence shared with law enforcement depicted anything inappropriate or any other related crime,” the message said.'
  • cbsnews.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'In a follow-up email on Jan. 16, the district said "no evidence shared with law enforcement depicted anything inappropriate or any other related crime."'
Reported The township police said in a press release that, after being alerted in December 2025 to the possible use of AI to generate non-consensual sexualized imagery of multiple juveniles, they investigated with the Delaware County District Attorney's Office and its ICAC detective division, and a juvenile was charged with harassment; the charge was announced on 23 January 2026.

Causal attribution. The police press release as quoted by Main Line Media News; CBS gives the date of the police announcement. The police describe the AI use as possible.

  • mainlinemedianews.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'After being alerted in December of 2025 of the possible use of AI to generate non-consensual sexualized imagery of multiple juveniles'; 'in collaboration with the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office and specifically the Delaware County ICAC Detective Division. As a result of the investigation, a juvenile offender was charged with the crime of harassment for their conduct.'
  • cbsnews.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'But just days later, in a Facebook post on Jan. 23,'
Reported A victim's mother said that when her daughter walked into school the next morning everyone was staring at her, that her daughter felt no one believed her, and parents said their daughters were offered little support.

Causal attribution. The mothers' own accounts to the Inquirer (anonymous).

  • inquirer.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    '“she said everyone was staring at her,” said her mother, who requested anonymity to protect her daughter’s identity.'; '“She just felt like no one believed her,”'; 'parents said their daughters were offered little support'
Disputed A district spokesperson said the alleged images were never discovered and that the district's and the police department's investigations found no evidence that the images remain or were shared, posted or otherwise circulated.

Causal attribution. The district's account, which parents contest; recorded as counterevidence about the content and spread of the videos.

  • inquirer.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    '“The district’s and the police department’s investigations have found no evidence that the images remain or were shared, posted, or otherwise circulated,” she said.'
Reported In April 2026 the school board adopted policy language prohibiting the non-consensual use of generative AI to create, modify, distribute or solicit sexualized, indecent or intimate content involving another person.

Causal attribution. The Inquirer's report of the adopted policy text.

  • inquirer.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    '“The non-consensual use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) to create, modify, distribute, or solicit sexualized, indecent, or intimate content involving another person is strictly prohibited and constitutes sexual harassment,” the new language reads.'

Sources

5 sources inspected. Sources that repeat one account do not corroborate each other.

How the sources were read, and where the events happened

The Philadelphia Inquirer, 17 February 2026, with its own interviews of two victims' mothers (anonymous) and statements from the district spokesperson; read in full (HTTP 200). Applies to s1.

Main Line Media News, 11 February 2026, quoting the township police press release on the charge; read in full (HTTP 200). Applies to s2.

CBS Philadelphia, 10 February 2026, on the district's emails and the police announcement; live HTTP 406, Internet Archive capture read in full. Applies to s3.

6abc Philadelphia, 9 December 2025, quoting the principal's email to families; read in full (HTTP 200). Applies to s4.

The Philadelphia Inquirer, 22 April 2026, on the school board's policy change; read in full (HTTP 200). Applies to s5.

Event countries: United States. Affected-person countries: United States. Court countries: Unknown.

The township police in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, investigated with the county District Attorney's Office, and the depicted girls are students at a high school in the township (Inquirer, Main Line Media News, 6abc).

Reviewed for publication 2026-10-18: Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): a police-co-written district message says a student used an app that animates photos to make videos of classmates, the police describe possible AI generation of sexualized imagery of multiple juveniles and charged a juvenile with harassment, and parents describe their daughters being stared at and disbelieved at school. The AI involvement is suspected, the app is unnamed, and whether the videos were sexual is disputed.

People described

Freshman girls at a Delaware County, Pennsylvania, high school who were told a male classmate had made videos of them; parents of two describe their daughters' experience

People reported harmed in this case

At least 5 people

0 AI participants · 5 other people harmed

Five: parents of two victims told the Inquirer that five freshman girls were told they were depicted, and the police describe imagery of multiple juveniles. The count rests on the parents' account; the district disputes that inappropriate content existed.

Counted once within this case. The same person may appear in other cases. This count does not establish AI causation.

Tags

#school#deepfake_video#image_animation_app#harassment_charge

Cite this case

Compiled per our published methodology: verification statuses, sourcing standards, and corrections process.

APA

NOPE. (2026). Pennsylvania police charge a student with harassment after reported AI videos of freshman girls; district says an app animated their photos. AI incidents. https://nope.net/incidents/2025-delaware-county-pennsylvania-student-charged-after-app-animated-photos-of-freshman-girls-into-videos

BibTeX

@misc{2025_delaware_county_pennsylvania_student_charged_after_app_animated_photos_of_freshman_girls_into_videos,
  title = {Pennsylvania police charge a student with harassment after reported AI videos of freshman girls; district says an app animated their photos},
  author = {NOPE},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {AI incidents},
  url = {https://nope.net/incidents/2025-delaware-county-pennsylvania-student-charged-after-app-animated-photos-of-freshman-girls-into-videos}
}

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