• A Florida middle school student was arrested after asking ChatGPT how to kill a friend during class on a school-issued device.
• School monitoring software Gaggle immediately flagged the query and alerted police, who responded within hours to confront the teen.
• The boy claimed he was “just trolling” an annoying friend, but authorities took the threat seriously amid ongoing school safety concerns.

A 13-year-old student at Southwestern Middle School in DeLand, Florida, typed a chilling question into ChatGPT on Wednesday: “How to kill my friend in the middle of class”.

The query was entered on a school-issued laptop equipped with Gaggle, an AI-powered monitoring system that tracks student activity on school devices. The software immediately flagged the search and sent an alert to a school resource deputy officer, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.

Police arrssted 13 years old boy in Florida, US for asking ChatGPT “How to kill my friend in the middle of class” pic.twitter.com/DRw0MZoj19

— Current Report (@Currentreport1) October 7, 2025

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Law enforcement responded to the school about an hour north of Orlando and confronted the unidentified minor. Despite the teen’s insistence that it was merely a prank, he was arrested and booked at the county juvenile detention center.

‘Just Trolling’ Defense Falls Flat

When questioned by officers, the boy explained that a friend had annoyed him and he was “just trolling.” However, school administrators and law enforcement officials didn’t find the joke amusing—especially in a state still reeling from the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, where 17 people died.

Footage circulating on social media shows the teen in restraints being led from a police vehicle. The images sparked debate online about whether the arrest was proportionate to the offense.

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“Another ‘joke’ that created an emergency on campus,” the sheriff’s office stated. “Parents, please talk to your kids so they don’t make the same mistake.”

The Gaggle Controversy

Gaggle is installed on school devices across the United States to detect concerning behavior directed toward students themselves or others, and to block inappropriate content. The system can monitor searches, documents, emails, and other digital activity.

However, the monitoring software has been mired in controversy because it has led to countless false alarms. Critics argue it fosters a surveillance state-like environment on school campuses, raising privacy concerns about constant monitoring of children’s online activity.

Privacy advocates have questioned whether schools should have unfettered access to monitor every keystroke students make, even when using educational tools. The software’s algorithms sometimes flag innocent queries or misinterpret context, leading to unnecessary panic and intervention.

Despite these criticisms, school administrators defend the technology as a necessary safety measure in an era of heightened concerns about school violence.

Zero Tolerance in Post-Parkland Florida

Florida law enforcement’s swift response reflects the state’s heightened vigilance following several high-profile school shootings. The Parkland massacre remains fresh in the minds of educators, parents, and law enforcement across the state.

Schools have implemented strict zero-tolerance policies for any hint of violence, whether joking or serious. What might have resulted in a stern talking-to or detention in previous decades now triggers immediate law enforcement involvement.

School resource officers are trained to treat every threat as credible until proven otherwise. In this case, the specific nature of the query—asking how to kill someone “in the middle of class”—raised particular alarm bells.

Public Reaction Divided

Social media reaction to the arrest has been mixed. Some users supported the school’s decision to take the threat seriously, arguing that authorities cannot distinguish between genuine threats and jokes until after an investigation.

Others questioned whether arresting a 13-year-old for what appeared to be an ill-advised attempt at dark humor was appropriate. “Sounds like they were just f***ing around in class and maybe trying to make his friend laugh?? What a stupid thing to arrest someone for,” one commenter wrote.

Another user noted the irony of the situation: “I have no idea why you’d so confidently believe OpenAI wouldn’t snitch on you.”

The incident raises broader questions about how schools should balance student privacy with safety concerns, and whether law enforcement response to potential threats has become too aggressive in the post-Columbine, post-Parkland era.

AI Safety and Parental Controls

The arrest comes as OpenAI faces increased scrutiny over ChatGPT’s potential misuse by minors. Parents recently sued OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, alleging the chatbot enabled their son’s suicide.

In response to growing concerns, OpenAI announced last month that it would introduce parental controls for ChatGPT on web and mobile platforms, giving parents more oversight of how their children interact with the AI tool.

Should schools monitor every keystroke students make on school-issued devices, or does constant surveillance create an atmosphere of distrust that undermines education?

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