Luis DeSantiago, a substitute teacher based in Los Banos, California, found himself entangled in a distressing situation that began with a few texts. On March 12, while working his part-time job at a coffee shop, his phone buzzed with messages from a fellow barista who had seen a concerning AI-generated image making the rounds on social media. A relative of hers was inquiring if the depicted individual was, in fact, DeSantiago.
Initially, he wasn’t overly anxious. He presumed that such inappropriate images would breach TikTok's community guidelines and would be taken down promptly. However, when he finally viewed the image, he experienced a shock akin to "a punch to the gut." The picture bore a striking resemblance to a mirror selfie he had taken in college; yet, in the manipulated version, he was depicted wearing lingerie rather than his work attire, and the pose was suggestive instead of the casual stance he initially held.
This incident marked the beginning of a challenging saga that spanned across two schools and involved various students and faculty. DeSantiago's experience is not an isolated case; other educators have also reported similar violations, where students have allegedly created sexualized AI photos and videos of them. These occurrences have left lasting emotional impacts on the educators involved, forcing some to reconsider their professional attitudes and their relationships with students.
As DeSantiago began to investigate the origins of the image, he unearthed that one of the accounts sharing it belonged to a student from a local middle school where he often substituted. He had suspicions about two additional students, based on their interactions with the account and their social circles. With a scheduled job at the same middle school the following day, he decided to escalate the matter to the assistant principal, who promised to address it.
Later that night, DeSantiago searched for his name on TikTok and found another student had created a false account impersonating him, using a slightly misspelled version of his name and the same photo as their profile picture.
In the following weeks, he engaged with school officials, the parents of those involved, and even law enforcement. Concerned about the broader implications of such images being distributed, he communicated his worries about possible private sharing of the content among students. One student who confessed to creating the image received a minor disciplinary action of in-school suspension. However, DeSantiago learned that the photo had also been shared on Snapchat, and it wasn’t long before it continued to circulate among students, along with disrespectful comments directed at him on TikTok.
Feeling unsafe at the middle school, DeSantiago expressed his reluctance to accept assignments there until the issue was adequately resolved. He took a substitute position at the nearby high school only to find that the harassment followed him; during one class, an AI-generated image of him was AirDropped, though it was quickly revoked.
The principal assured him that a thorough investigation was underway and offered him support from the school counselor. Nevertheless, DeSantiago has decided against returning to the district this year, emphasizing his current discomfort.
The rise of nonconsensual explicit images, especially those fabricated through AI, can potentially expose violators to charges of cyberstalking under federal law, specifically the Take It Down Act. This act classifies the unauthorized sharing of both authentic and AI-generated intimate images as a crime.
Most teachers interviewed did not report the incidents to the platforms hosting the harmful content. Snap Inc. spokesperson Monique Bellamy highlighted the company's stance against harassment and sexual harassment in their community guidelines, stating that they have processes to handle such issues while continually developing new tools to enhance user safety. TikTok did not respond prior to publication.
