Overview
- In Thibodaux, Louisiana, two boys were charged under a new state statute after AI-generated nudes spread at a middle school, while a 13-year-old victim initially expelled after a bus altercation was later allowed to return on probation as deputies declined to charge her.
- The Louisiana case is described by the bill’s author as the first brought under the state’s deepfake law, reflecting early use of 2025 statutes.
- In 2025, at least half of U.S. states enacted laws targeting generative-AI abuses, including measures addressing simulated child sexual abuse material, and schools have seen prosecutions and expulsions in multiple states.
- Reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse images to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children jumped from 4,700 in 2023 to 440,000 in the first half of 2025.
- Researchers and advocates say easy-to-use apps have removed technical barriers, and they urge schools and parents to update policies, educate students, and use step-by-step responses such as SHIELD to report content, preserve evidence, and support victims facing recurring trauma.