Parker County 16-year-old charged with using AI to create 'deep fake' nude images of children
PARKER COUNTY, Texas - Investigators charged a 16-year-old in Parker County with multiple felonies after the teen confessed to using artificial intelligence to create nude images of younger children and posting them on TikTok.
What we know:
Parker County Sheriff’s Office investigators executed a search warrant on Oct. 1.
During the search, investigators discovered a 16-year-old was responsible for the uploads and seized numerous devices.
While at the home, police say the suspect confessed to taking photographs of a younger juvenile and using AI to alter the images to make the subject appear nude.
Authorities obtained additional search warrants for the devices and the juvenile’s TikTok account.
On Oct. 8, evidence from the electronics and social media account revealed the teen obtained photos of at least three other juvenile victims.
The teen used AI to transform these photos into deep fakes before uploading them to the platform.
Investigators identified all the juvenile victims and notified their families.
A smartphone displaying the TikTok logo is pictured in front of a larger TikTok logo, illustrating the social media platform's growing global presence, in Tunis,Tunisia on October 6,2026. (Photo by Imen Ben Youssef / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images
What we don't know:
Because the suspect and the victims are juveniles, authorities have not released their names or identities.
Police did not release the specific age of the victims.
The backstory:
The investigation began in July when TikTok notified the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about a user posting child pornography images.
NCMEC initially sent the tip to the Celina Police Department, believing the suspect lived in that jurisdiction.
Celina police later learned that the images were actually uploaded from Parker County.
The Parker County Sheriff’s Office received the information on Sept. 29 and took action days later.
What they're saying:
The 16-year-old faces charges of second-degree felony possession of child pornography, state jail felony voyeurism of a child victim, and state jail felony possession of certain visual material depicting a child.
The Source: The information in this article comes from the Parker County Sheriff's Office.