A London, Ont. high school has informed parents and guardians about a troubling situation affecting some students. It involves the spreading of fake nude photos.
The London District Catholic School Board gave a copy of the letter sent to the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School community to Global News. The board mentioned that they haven't received any reports of this happening at their other schools.
The administration of St. Thomas Aquinas mentioned in the letter that some of the students' photos were taken from their social media and then modified using AI to make them appear unclothed.
The letter states, “These photos have been distributed through group chats. As you can imagine, this is a very difficult and challenging situation for our young students and can have lasting adverse effects for them. The creation and distribution of this material could result in disciplinary measures.”
The letter also mentioned that the police have been informed and have visited the school as part of the investigation. Additionally, the administration urges parents and guardians to discuss with their children the risks of social media and artificial intelligence, as well as the inappropriateness of sharing these types of images in group chats.
The London Police Service confirmed to Global News that they are “aware of the incident” and “investigating,” but did not provide further details.
With files from Global News’ Emily Passfield.
