AI Nude Images of 50 Girls Spark Argentine School Scandal

Around 50 girls at Colegio Modelo Lomas, south of Buenos Aires, are believed to have had classmates turn their faces into fake nude images using artificial intelligence. Police in Lomas de Zamora raided the homes of four 15-year-old pupils accused of creating the images, circulating them at school and trying to sell them on adult-content websites. The victims reportedly range from the first to fifth years of secondary school.

Investigators searched the suspects’ homes on October 9, seven days ago. They seized mobile phones, computers and a PlayStation console for forensic examination. They’re investigating how much material the pupils produced and distributed, and whether anyone else took part. Investigators are also examining the possible role of an adult who allegedly paid for the AI tool with a credit card. It isn’t clear whether that person knew how the tool was being used.

How the Images Spread

Families said the material circulated through WhatsApp groups. According to their account, guides paired photos from the girls’ social media accounts with manipulated images showing them naked, each marked with their real names. Some images were allegedly shared with pupils at other schools and posted on pornography websites, the newspaper Perfil reported.

For the girls, the harm doesn’t end in the classroom. A fake image with a real name can follow a teenager for years once it appears on a public website.

Parents Say the School Stayed Silent

Students and parents protested outside the school the previous week, demanding action and accusing the institution of failing to respond adequately. Families alleged school authorities knew about the situation for about a month but didn’t tell parents. Some students also alleged they’d been told not to discuss it. Those claims haven’t been independently established.

Parents have since met school officials and education inspectors. Families also filed a collective complaint with the juvenile criminal responsibility prosecutor’s office. Authorities ordered the four accused students to stop any harassment and barred them from approaching the school while the investigation proceeds. School officials arranged for the students to continue studying remotely via Zoom, keeping them out of in-person classes.

A Pattern Across Argentina

The Lomas de Zamora case isn’t isolated. At the private Escuela Thomas Alva Edison in Ituzaingó, Buenos Aires Province, four students aged 15 to 16 were accused the previous week of using AI to create and sell fake nude images of female classmates. A seven-year-old pupil in the school’s primary section was also allegedly targeted. The case reportedly came to light after a student alerted authorities following a dispute over how to divide money earned from the images. The school said it had activated safeguarding protocols, contacted families and barred the students involved from classes. Juvenile prosecutors in Morón are investigating.

In July, allegations emerged involving pupils at the Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires and the Escuela Superior de Comercio Carlos Pellegrini, two secondary schools run by the University of Buenos Aires. Students were accused of creating and circulating manipulated images of classmates, with some material reportedly offered for sale. The allegations prompted student protests, and some pupils were suspended. In September, a separate investigation in Santa Fe Province focused on a 14-year-old boy accused of using AI to create and distribute fake nude images of six female classmates.

These cases have raised concerns about readily available AI tools that generate sexual images of minors, how quickly the material circulates, and how difficult it is for schools to protect students from digital sexual abuse.

Why This Matters:

The victims are children, and at least one reported case involved a seven-year-old. The burden of cleaning up fell first on the girls and their families, who say they learned of the scandal late and organized protests to force a response. Four cases across the country in a few months suggest this isn’t a one-school problem. It points to a gap between how easily people can buy AI tools and how little protection exists for those whose photographs get used. Schools, prosecutors and education inspectors now face pressure to respond to abuse that spreads faster than any existing safeguard. Whether public institutions can act quickly, tell parents promptly and hold those responsible to account will shape whether girls can post a photograph online without fearing what someone else might do with it.