McHenry County judges warn high school students of legal dangers of cellphones, risk of criminal charges

Two McHenry County judges laid out the grim, real-world consequences of cellphone and social media misuse in an auditorium packed with freshman and sophomore students Wednesday morning at Prairie Ridge High School in Crystal Lake.

The early-morning assembly covered dark problems of cyberbullying and the sharing of images of child sexual abuse that can turn into chargeable crimes.

“We see this happening in your community,” Judge Justin Hansen said.

Hansen and fellow Judge Jennifer Johnson gave examples of local teenagers who were charged for alleged crimes related to cellphones and social media, including a 16-year-old boy who threatened a school shooting in a group message with friends, three freshmen charged with distributing child sexual abuse images over text messages in Gurnee and a 15-year-old charged for filming a fight on a school bus in Lincolnshire.

“We don’t want you to think we’re using scare tactics to help you understand this message,” Hansen said. “We’re relaying to you things that we actually see.”

The judges also highlighted an incident that happened in Richmond earlier this year involving two teens charged in connection to inappropriate, artificial intelligence-generated fake photos depicting classmates. Most students shook their heads when asked if they were aware of it and agreed that AI images should be considered the same under the law as real images depicting minors.

Prairie Ridge sophomore Charlie Benton said she has heard of AI-generated pornography happening, but nothing specific. She said she is always aware of what she posts, especially through a lens of what future employers may think.

“I feel like my whole life, I’m telling my friends that whatever you post on social media is going to be there for the rest of your life,” she said. “I think they understand but they don’t fully comprehend.”

The judges focused on accountability and the lack of privacy in messaging and warned that being a child doesn’t stop law enforcement from pressing charges. Everything on phones is discoverable, despite being deleted or stored on “vault apps” that can secretly store photos without parents seeing them, Johnson said.

Still, Johnson strongly advised any student who has had any such photos on their phone to delete them, even though they never actually goes away.

“Get it off your phone,” she said. “Part of possession and being charged with a crime of possession deals with your intent. If you try to delete, you’re showing that you do not intend to possess it.”

Cyberbullying can also translate to crimes like electronic harassment, stalking, obscene and threatening communication, false personation and inducement to commit suicide, Hansen said.

Prairie Ridge Vice Principal Kevin Koeppen said Assistant Principal of Student Services Matt Koll coordinated with Hansen to host the presentation in front of the students.

“We’re trying to be proactive,” Koeppen said. “It’s a message everyone can hear.”

The district hopes to create more sessions at other schools and create sessions for parents. If any student resonated with what was presented, Koeppen strongly encourages students to use the school’s services of counselors and psychiatrists to help.

The presentation comes after Community High School District 155, which includes Prairie Ridge, announced it would enforce its strict “out-of-sight” cellphone policy during the school day.

“This year, District 155 will be strictly enforcing its cell phone policy which states that ‘all electronic devices must be kept powered-off and out-of-sight during the regular school day unless the supervising teacher grants permission,’” according to a letter to parents from Superintendent Neil Lesinski. “What we are learning is that excessive use of social media has been linked to negative mental health outcomes such as depression, anxiety and low self-esteem. Factors contributing to these issues include cyberbullying, unrealistic body image comparisons, sleep disturbances and addiction-like behaviors.”