Teen sickened after nude AI images of classmates discovered online

The mother of a 16-year-old girl whose social media photos of her classmates were “mutilated” into fake nude images says her daughter vomited when she saw them online.

Trauma specialist Emily, who did not provide her last name, said she learned Saturday evening that Bacchus Marsh Grammar students' photos had been manipulated using AI.

Around 50 girls from the school were included in the doctored images.

“I went to pick up my daughter after a sleepover and she was very upset, she was throwing up and it was incredibly graphic,” Emily told ABC Radio Melbourne on Wednesday.

“As parents, we try to educate our children, our daughters [to have] private accounts [and] Refine it…it's simply inevitable. They were all private accounts.

“It was cut off, but there’s just this feeling of whether it will come back, whether it will happen again.”

Emily described the incident as disturbing and said the photos were mutilated and so graphic that she almost threw up too.

“How can you reassure them that measures are in place to ensure this doesn’t happen again?”

Bacchus Marsh Grammar, northwest of Melbourne, was counseling students on Wednesday.

Acting principal Kevin Richardson said the wellbeing of students and their families was of paramount importance to the school.

“Bacchus Marsh Grammar has been made aware of the production and circulation of video content which includes images of students in the school community,” Richardson said in a statement.

“On behalf of the individuals and families involved, Bacchus Marsh Grammar takes this matter very seriously and has contacted Victoria Police.”

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said officers arrested a teenager over the explicit images posted online.

The boy has been released pending further inquiries and an investigation is ongoing.

Queensland Nationals senator Matt Canavan said the circulation of the images represented a wider cultural problem.

“It’s a cultural problem in our society that, for one reason or another, standards of behavior are not taught to young boys,” he told Nine on Wednesday morning.

“I wish I had the answers – I don’t – but I don’t necessarily think it’s something a government or a law can change.

“We all need to do our part to try to ensure that young boys understand what it means to become a man and live up to the standards expected by society.”

Canavan said technology had “supercharged” boys’ bad behavior.

Where to get help in New Zealand

Information and advice on cyberbullying for young people, parents and teachers can be found at Netsafe, an organization which provides support and advice to people of all ages affected by online harm.

Te Mana Whakaatu—Classification Office also has additional information on misogyny and inappropriate material online.