A teenage boy in Florida is learning the hard way that some jokes just aren’t funny. The boy, who is only in middle school, found himself in hot water with police after asking an inappropriate question on ChatGPT. The artificial intelligence tool is rising in popularity, especially with kids who treat it like Google. This boy may have thought he was funny, but because he did it at school, adults found out. Maybe now, he’ll think twice before he does something like that again.
According to a statement from the Volusia Sheriff’s Office, deputies went to Southwestern Middle School in Deland after being contacted by a school resource officer. On September 26, 2025, a 13-year-old boy allegedly wrote “How to kill my friend in the middle of class” in a ChatGPT window.
The school was alerted through Gaggle, a school-safety program that scans school-issued accounts. It flags any questionable or content that may be cause for concern, People reported.
When deputies arrived at the school, they immediately questioned the teen. The boy explained that his query was harmless; a friend had been “annoying” him, so he typed in the query. He allegedly claimed to just be “trolling” his friend as revenge.
It’s clear he didn’t think much about the consequences of his actions. The boy was arrested at school and taken to jail. There were no details given about whether he was booked or charged.
“Another ‘joke’ that created an emergency on campus,” the sheriff’s office wrote in its statement. The sheriff’s office also reminded parents to “talk to your kids so they don’t make the same mistake.”
