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By Alison Costelloe
Stateline
Topic:AI
Wed 29 Apr 2026 at 5:56am
Five male students have now left The Friends' School in Hobart, following the sharing of deepfake pornographic material. (The Friends' School)
Girls at a Tasmanian private school have been targeted in a deepfake incident, with AI-doctored pornographic depictions shared on a boys' group chat, several parents say.
Two parents have criticised the school's lack of a victim-focused response, saying they were encouraged not to tell their daughters they had been identified in the material.
The minister has referred a complaint to the non-government school regulator. Meanwhile, an expert has recommended an early intervention program for youth perpetrators of harmful sexual behaviours.
Tasmania's education minister has referred a parent's complaint about how a Hobart school handled an AI pornographic deepfake incident to a regulatory board for review.
A number of girls at The Friends' School — the world's largest Quaker school — have had their images used to make deepfake pornographic material, according to Tasmania Police.
Parents of two of the children said they were told by police that 21 victims had been identified.
The Friends' School in Hobart is the world's largest Quaker school. (ABC News: Jake Grant)
A deepfake is an image or video in which a real person's face or body has been edited using AI software to create a false depiction.
Five male students have now left the school, but parents of the victims say their daughters have been left "not knowing who to talk to" for support.
One mother told the ABC that she first became aware through "chatter" about the incident from her daughter in early March.
On April 1, following police involvement, a senior staff member at the school called her to tell her her daughter's image was involved.
One parent says her daughter doesn't know which girls at school have been told and so can't discuss it with anyone. (Reuters: Hollie Adams)
She said that after being informed about the deepfake incident, the staff member told her most parents were not going to tell their children they had been identified in the material and that that seemed the best course of action.
"We're talking about sexual assault, about child pornography and they're taking our girls' voices away from them.
"Our girls have a right to know they've been involved in things like this, and they have a right to be educated on how to handle it."
The mother wrote to Education Minister Jo Palmer, telling her:
The girls are now finding themselves in awkward and uncomfortable situations with one another.
They are uncertain about what they can say and to whom, particularly as they do not want to inadvertently disclose information to students who have not been informed by their parents
This has created an environment of confusion, isolation, and shame amongst the very girls who need support and solidarity the most.
In response, Ms Palmer said, "I cannot even imagine the distress this situation has caused".
Tasmanian Education Minister Jo Palmer says she has forwarded the complaint to the non-government school regulator. (ABC News: Morgan Timms)
The minister said that as The Friends' School was a non-government school, it was regulated by the Non-Government School Registrations Board (NGSRB), which would ensure compliance with school policies, procedures and practices.
"I have referred your complaint to the NGSRB for consideration and appropriate action," she wrote back.
In an email to parents last week, principal Esther Hill said the school had acted "promptly, in line with our child safety obligations".
Some parents may feel distressed and ill-equipped to tackle the issue of image-based abuse and deepfakes. This is what to watch out for.
She said families of students identified and impacted had been informed in a "careful and supportive manner", and that communication had "been guided by police and expert advice".
She said the school had undertaken a review of its "processes, policies and actions" and was seeking "external input" to ensure best practice going forward.
"Our focus remains on ensuring that all affected young people feel safe, supported and respected," the email said.
Principal Esther Hill said the school had acted "promptly, in line with our child safety obligations". (ABC News: Jake Grant)
The ABC spoke to a second parent who said she had first heard "rumblings" about the deepfake incident but never imagined it had affected her daughter.
An Adelaide teenager who was the first person charged under new nationwide laws aimed at tackling deepfake pornography has pleaded guilty to two counts of creating or altering sexual material without consent.
She said she was "gobsmacked" when the school contacted her to confirm her daughter's image had been reproduced by AI in deepfake pornography.
She described the phone call from The Friends' School senior staff as cautious and lacking in detail.
She said she was told the boys involved in the incident had all been removed from the school, that their phones had been destroyed and that most parents were not going to tell their daughters.
"I got off the phone and called my husband and he was like 'what the heck'," she said.
They decided to tell their daughter that night.
Both parents requested that they be put in touch with police, who told them the AI-altered photos of the girls had been shared in a boys' group chat and that their images appeared to have been taken from social media.
Five boys are alleged to have created the images and all have since left the school.
The first images produced were fully clothed AI-generated images before progressing to nudity and pornography, one mother was told.
Tasmania Police said no charges had been laid, with "the five youths being dealt with in accordance with the Youth Justice Act".
Five boys have left the school and will be dealt with "in accordance with the Youth Justice Act", police say. (Pexels: Cottonbro Studio)
Police said they worked closely with the school and provided guidance around education and support resources suitable for the wider school community, including materials from the e-Safety Commissioner, ACCCE, and ThinkUKnow.
A 19-year-old South Australian man this month was the first person in the country to be prosecuted under a new federal law aimed at combating deepfake adult pornography.
In an e-Safety toolkit for schools, the eSafety Commissioner described laws around deepfakes as "evolving", with "increasing recognition of the serious harm it can cause".
Both parents said they would like to see the school bring the affected students together to address the issue.
"Get all of the [school year] together and have a heart-to-heart. It's an opportunity to learn. I was just disappointed at how weak their response was."
One mother wrote to the education minister and her complaint has been forwarded to the regulator. (ABC News: Abbey Haberecht)
One mother said she had engaged a psychologist before telling her daughter and was worried about the girls who had not been told.
"There are students out there that won't be getting the same comfort and care and guidance that my daughter's getting," she said.
As the first case under new anti-deepfake legislation goes before the courts, authorities and experts say the rise in the creation of the non-consensual sexually explicit material is concerning.
Both parents said their daughters were struggling with not being able to talk about it with their friends.
The other said: "It's almost like there's an element of shame there."
In a statement to the ABC, Friends principal Ms Hill said that the school could not address the challenges alone.
"In schools, we are actively equipping students through targeted programs, expert input and ongoing conversations with families about ethical and responsible use of emerging technologies," she said.
"Many of our most significant challenges arise outside school hours, on personal devices beyond the school gate.
"Supporting young people to navigate an increasingly complex digital world requires a shared commitment between relevant authorities, schools and families, grounded in clear expectations and strong, consistent values."
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The Sexual Assault Support Service said deepfakes had become an increasing concern for young people, families and schools.
The clinical lead of the service's PAST (Prevention, Assessment, Support and Treatment) program, Renae Pepper, said many communities were still working out how to respond to deepfake incidents and that it was important responses were centred on the safety and well-being of those impacted, and didn't create further shame or harm.
She recommended the PAST program for parents who were concerned their children might be creating or sharing content such as deepfakes.
The Non-government Schools Registration Board said it was unable to comment on individual matters.
Wed 29 Apr 2026 at 5:56am
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