Ep 1194 | Parents of Teens: Beware of AI-Generated Blackmail | Guests: Anna & Elliston Berry

Summary

Podcast Summary: Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey
Episode: Ep 1194 | Parents of Teens: Beware of AI-Generated Blackmail
Guests: Anna & Elliston Berry
Release Date: May 22, 2025
Host: Blaze Podcast Network

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Introduction

In Episode 1194 of Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey, Allie Beth Stuckey delves into a pressing issue affecting today's youth: AI-generated blackmail and its devastating impact on teenagers. Featuring guests Anna and Elliston Berry, the episode explores the harrowing experience of Elliston, a 14-year-old victim of AI deepfake pornography, and the subsequent legislative response spearheaded by his family.

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The Tragic Story of Elliston Berry

[14:26] Elliston Berry:
"I was a freshman in high school... waking up to messages that these images of me were going around was terrifying."

Elliston Berry recounts the moment he discovered that a classmate had manipulated his social media photos to create fake pornographic images. These deepfakes were circulated widely, leading to immense personal trauma, social ostracization, and a subsequent mental health crisis.

Key Points:

• Initial Discovery: Elliston learns about the fake images through a concerned friend who sends him a collage proving the photos are altered.
• Emotional Turmoil: Shock, fear, and confusion dominate Elliston's initial reaction, compounded by embarrassment and uncertainty about informing his parents.
• Widespread Impact: The images quickly spread beyond his immediate circle, causing him to drop out of school and severely affecting his academic and social life.

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Parental Response and Institutional Inaction

[18:34] Anna Berry:
"She realized this is child pornography. We didn't know what to do. So we went into mama bear mode."

Anna Berry describes the immediate familial response upon discovering the gravity of the situation. Despite their urgent pleas, the school administration and local authorities were initially unresponsive, highlighting a systemic failure to address such digital threats effectively.

Key Points:

• Immediate Action: Anna and her husband contact school officials and law enforcement, only to be met with confusion and a lack of actionable steps.
• Police Involvement: Authorities were unsure how to handle the case due to the absence of specific laws addressing AI-generated content involving minors.
• Escalating Threats: The perpetrator made explicit threats, escalating the situation to a potential school-wide crisis, yet adequate preventive measures were not implemented in time.

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The Role of Technology and Social Media

[21:39] Elliston Berry:
"He was on Snapchat using the school Wi-Fi... It allowed them to track his IP address and catch him."

The episode examines how technological advancements, particularly in AI and social media platforms like Snapchat, facilitate the creation and distribution of harmful deepfake content. Elliston explains how the perpetrator exploited these technologies to anonymously target multiple students, making it challenging for authorities to intervene swiftly.

Key Points:

• Anonymity of Perpetrators: The use of AI and encrypted platforms allowed the student to operate without immediate detection.
• Technological Tracking: Eventually, school Wi-Fi monitoring enabled the identification of the perpetrator through his IP address.
• Systemic Vulnerabilities: The lack of proactive measures and inadequate understanding of emerging technologies by institutions exacerbated the problem.

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Legislative Response: The Take It Down Act

[36:02] Elliston Berry:
"Kristus helped us write the Take It Down Act... It made sure these images would be removed within 48 hours."

Moved by his personal ordeal, Elliston and his mother collaborated with Senator Ted Cruz to draft the Take It Down Act. This bipartisan legislation aims to provide legal mechanisms to combat the spread of AI-generated defamatory content, ensuring swift removal and imposing stricter penalties on perpetrators and platforms that fail to act.

Key Points:

• Legislative Process: Initiated by Anna Berry's persistent advocacy, the bill gained momentum through bipartisan support.
• Provisions of the Act: Mandates the removal of harmful content within 48 hours and holds both individuals and tech platforms accountable.
• Impact on Perpetrators: Introduces felony charges for severe violations, even for minors, aiming to deter such actions through significant legal consequences.

[37:37] Anna Berry:
"It's really about protecting our children. Even if you don't have other grownups protecting you, the law is going to protect you."

Anna emphasizes the non-political nature of the legislation, underscoring its primary focus on safeguarding minors from digital exploitation and abuse.

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Moving Forward: Advocacy and Prevention

[39:50] Ally:
"Parents need to have open dialogues... set parameters and rules around social media use."

The conversation shifts to preventive measures, highlighting the critical role parents and educators play in mitigating the risks associated with digital abuse. Recommendations include proactive communication, setting clear boundaries for social media usage, and educating children about the dangers of online interactions.

Key Points:

• Open Communication: Encouraging parents to discuss digital safety and the potential threats of AI and deepfakes with their children.
• Educational Initiatives: Training for teachers and school administrators to recognize and respond to digital abuse effectively.
• Legal Awareness: Informing law enforcement and judicial bodies about the nuances of AI-related crimes to ensure appropriate legal responses.

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Conclusion: Hope and Resilience

[43:39] Elliston Berry:
"God works for the good of those who love him... this situation could turn into something so big."

Despite the traumatic experiences, Elliston expresses a message of hope and resilience. He views his ordeal as a catalyst for meaningful change, driving him to advocate for others and ensure that his story leads to tangible legislative and societal improvements.

Key Points:

• Personal Growth: Elliston's journey from victimhood to advocacy underscores the potential for personal adversity to inspire systemic change.
• Faith and Purpose: Both Elliston and Anna attribute their strength and purpose to their faith, viewing their efforts as part of a larger divine plan to combat evil.
• Community Support: The importance of having a supportive network, including family, friends, and faith communities, in navigating and overcoming such challenges.

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Notable Quotes

• Elliston Berry at [14:26]:
  "I was a freshman in high school... waking up to messages that these images of me were going around was terrifying."

• Anna Berry at [18:34]:
  "She realized this is child pornography. We didn't know what to do. So we went into mama bear mode."

• Elliston Berry at [36:02]:
  "Kristus helped us write the Take It Down Act... It made sure these images would be removed within 48 hours."

• Anna Berry at [37:50]:
  "It's really about protecting our children. Even if you don't have other grownups protecting you, the law is going to protect you."

• Elliston Berry at [43:39]:
  "God works for the good of those who love him... this situation could turn into something so big."

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Closing Thoughts

This episode of Relatable serves as a crucial wake-up call for parents, educators, and policymakers about the pervasive threat of AI-generated abuse targeting minors. Through Elliston and Anna Berry's courageous testimony, listeners gain a profound understanding of the emotional toll, the technological challenges, and the urgent need for robust legislative measures to protect the most vulnerable in our digital age.

Transcript

[Ally]

Ellison berry was a 14 year old who was the victim of an AI deep fake pornographic image of her being circulated around her high school. Her story is tragic and compelling, but God has used it as a launch pad for really important legislation that has passed Congress called the Take It Down Act. Today we're not only hearing from her and her mom why this legislation is necessary, but also we're going to set it up with some really important context about what is happening in the pornography industry right now and how Christians should view all of this. This episode is brought to you by the Olive App. See what is really in your food. You're going to be surprised. You'll also be equipped to make better food decisions for you and your family. It's really helped us go to your app store right now and download the Olive App for free.

[Ellison Berry]

Foreign.

[Ally]

Hey guys, welcome to Relatable. Happy Thursday. Hope everyone is having a wonderful week so far. Okay, we've got to talk about some serious stuff today, some dark stuff today, but it's really important, especially as parents, that we really understand what's going on. And like we talked about with Andrew Clavin earlier this week, looking at objective evil straight in the eyes is, can be really important in drawing us towards what is good and right and true. And when we confront the reality of evil, we can either become paranoid or we can become anxious, we can become fearful ourselves, or we can be strengthened. We can realize that part of the reason that God has placed us on this earth is to make the world around us better, better for his glory and the good of those he has placed in our lives. And one of the things that the church has done best for thousands of years that we have to take the mantle up on is the defense of children, is the defense of those who do not have a voice. That includes embryos in a lab, that includes babies inside the womb, that includes children outside of the womb. And unfortunately, a tale as almost old as time. Certainly when we look back thousands of years, we see this in the pagan world, the trend of using children for sexual gratification and objectification. I've talked a lot about this book by historian Owen Bakke, When Children Became People, and he details just the horrible mistreatment of children in ancient pagan Greece and Rome. Sold into slavery, they were sent to exposure Hills when they were unwanted newborn children. They were literally placed on these hills to die from things like hypothermia or being eaten by wild animals. Or they were sold into slavery or into sex slavery. They were used by the powerful by the rich as prostitutes. Awful, awful treatment of children. And it was the introduction of Christians 2000 years ago, their gospel, their what was at the time, the upside down world view that changed everything. Not only for children, but for women, for the poor, for those truly on the margins of society. Ancient pagan Greece and Rome said, the Logos is what determines someone's worth. Your full ability to reason and to rationalize. And only the adult free male was seen as having that capacity, whereas children were seen as not having that capacity. So they were viewed as. As subhuman and they were treated as such. But Christians coming in with this concept of the imago dei, coming in with this radically equalizing gospel, that everyone is equally dead in their sin and can be made alive by grace through faith in him, that changed everything. And as the centuries passed, the treatment of children went from subjugation to a place of special dignity because of their powerlessness, because grace. Christians serve a God who came to earth as an embryo, who was welcomed by the kicks of an unborn. John the Baptist, who was welcomed into the world as a newborn, who as an adult said, let the little children come to me, even against the protestations of his disciples. That is the Jesus we serve. And not only that. Jesus is described in John 1 as the capital L, Logos, the word made for flesh. So the capital L logos turned the pagan philosophies of ancient Greece and Rome on its head, who said, the lowercase l logos determines someone's worth, but the capital L logo says no, Your worth is determined by me and the Christians who believed that changed everything for children. And it is still our task to do so today as we devolve into what seems like, at least from my perspective, paganism. Not even atheism, but paganism. As we allow and celebrate child sacrifice, we also see the subjugation and objectification of children. And we see that most prominently through places like pornhub. Nicholas Kristof is a reporter for the New York Times, and he has been a very brave reporter. I'm sure he is progressive in most ways, but he wrote an article, the children of Pornhub, back in 2020, which sparked a lot of change, positive change, both legislatively and just, in the industry. And he has published a new piece in the New York Times that came out just last week about how pornhub's employees actually deal with child sex abuse material. And if you don't believe in evil, you just need to read this article. So let me tell you a little bit about it. It's very relevant for our conversation that we're about to have with ell. So documents that were accidentally leaked to Nicholas Kristoff or they were leaked and then Nicholas Kristof got a hold of them. Show that pornhub posted videos tagged with terms like this is very disturbing. Like 12 year old with one video of 15 year old being this is very dark. It's even hard for me to say. But it's just the truth of what's going on. And if these children are enduring it, we have to be able to talk about it. This 15 year old was enduring gang rape. It was uploaded to pornhub and it was viewed widely, leading her to being shamed and dropping out of school. As you can imagine, it ruined her life. Pornhub delayed or avoided removing flagged child sex abuse material. So this was content that they knew was child sex abuse material with 706,000 videos flagged for review, some requiring 16 flags before taking action. And they didn't take action on many of these. So Kristof wrote that internal memos seem to show executives obsessed with making money by attracting the biggest audiences, including pedophiles. In one memo, pornhub managers proposed words to be banned from video descriptions such as infant and kitty, while recommending that the site should still include to allow brutal childhood force unwilling minor. One internal note says that a person who posted a sex abuse material of a child shouldn't be banned from the site because, quote, the user made money, made themselves money, made the company money. Staff acknowledged in these memos that the presence of child sex abuse material with internal discussions joking about it and debating whether to allow childhood as a search term. A class action lawsuit filed in 2023 exposed Pornhub's monetization of child sex abuse material with tags like young and teenager being highly profited and pornhub doing absolutely nothing about it. There are other parts of this, of this article that shows memos of pornhub employees joking about it. One employee saying we shouldn't CC our manager when we are talking about child sex abuse material. And the other employee says we don't want our manager to know about this. No, they didn't want people to know about this. The employees at pornhub know that their children and their babies that are being sexually abused on their website and they won't do anything about it, at least at the executive level, because it makes them money. And that is why they oppose every single regulation and every single form of protection that is out there, because they know that they are going to lose money on it and they see it as well. If there is a demand for it, then we will just supply it and it is immoral. I will wash my hands of this. Kind of like Pilot. If the people want it, I'll do it. But I'm not responsible for it. Pilot was wrong. Pornhub is wrong. Nicholas Kristof said that he has never received more death threats after an article than when he published the article in 2020 exposing how Pornhub monetizes child rape. He said that he's reported on terrorism, he's reported on extremists and gangsters, and never has he received more death threats than when he threatened the porn industry. And you think Imagine thinking that Satan isn't real. Imagine thinking that there isn't a print of the power of the air, the spirits that are now at work in the sons of disobedience says Ephesians 2. Imagine not believing in Ephesians 6 that there is a spiritual battle going on between good and evil. And imagine not having hope that we have a God who promises to come back and avenge the innocent. We have a God who promises that he is going to redeem all of it, that he is going to do away with evildoers and the main evil one forever and ever. Like imagine not having that hope. Like, aren't we so thankful for the gospel that God is going to do something about all of this? And in the meantime, we as Christians still have a lot of work to do. Quick pause to tell you about Seven Weeks Coffee, y' all. Seven Weeks Coffee is America's only Pro Life Coffee company and they have just donated over $900,000 to Pro Life pregnancy centers across the country because of you allowing your coffee to serve a higher purpose. 10% of every sale of 7 weeks coffee goes to these Pro Life pregnancy centers and almost a million dollars now has been donated. That translates into saving thousands of little lives as moms have been loved, their needs have been met, they've gotten an ultrasound, they've gotten to hear their baby's heartbeat. So they have made a life affirming choice. So thank so much to seven Weeks Coffee. But thank you to all of you who have made the choice to switch to seven Weeks Coffee. And it's really not a difficult choice because it tastes really good. I had my 7 weeks coffee this morning. It's amazing. I also love that it's mold free, pesticide free. I love their bags. They're resealable. Not all coffee bags are like that, but they should be. Plus you can subscribe. You'll get that box of coffee to your front door. Every month you save 15% when you subscribe. Plus when you use my code ally, you save an extra 10, 10%. So many savings and you are saving lives by buying coffee. It's just a win all around. Go to 7weeks Coffee.com, use code ALLY at. Check out that 7weeks Coffee.com code ALI. Now, this take it down act that we are about to talk about with Ellison Berry, we actually recorded this interview a while ago. So I have an update for some context before we get into that conversation, but just to give you a little intro about who she is. She was 14 years old, a student at Alito High School in Texas, when a classmate took an image off of her social media where she was fully clothed and used AI to make it look like she was naked. So these deep, fake, naked pictures of her, the perpetrator was a 15 year old classmate. He also created these fake images of seven other classmates. And this was a really difficult thing, obviously for her and her family, but also in the hesitance of the school and authorities to really try to find a way to do anything about it. Ellison Berry joined President Trump as a guest at his speech before Congress a few months ago as he talked about what really is a bipartisan issue and that is protecting people, especially minors, from the predation of pornography and these kinds of deep fake images. So her story is really compelling. This is an important one for parents. You need to know what's going on. Without further ado, here is Elliston and her mom, Anna. Okay, before we get into the conversation with Elliston, which we recorded a few weeks ago, I want to give you an update on this Take It Down, Take It Down Act. It was just signed by President Trump into law on Monday. Melania Trump has been a big supporter of this legislation. As you will hear, Ellison and her mom Anna were a big part of the passage of this bill. And we should be very grateful to President Trump for signing it into law. You'll hear more about it now and the dangers that led to the need for this kind of law. So thank you, President Trump, for making this happen. And also you'll hear how grateful we should be to Alison and her mom for their courage as well. So without further ado, here is Ellison Berry. Allison and Anna, thank you so much for taking the time to join me. First, I just want to start with your story. Can you take us back to what happened?

[Ellison Berry]

Yeah, I was a freshman in high school, so this was the most important time. I was so excited for high school. I had volleyball games and football games, and I woke up the weekend or the week right after homecoming. So I woke up with messages from my friend notifying me that these images of me were going around. So she had sent me a screenshot of a collage of photos. Two innocent Instagram photos, one of her and one of me, and then two nude photos, one of her and one of me. She made this collage just to prove that these images weren't real. And honestly, she was scared. I was scared. And that whole morning, it was. It was terrifying. We didn't know what to do. I was embarrassed to tell my parents. It was really, really scary. Just trying to navigate, confused at the time.

[Ally]

Like, when you saw those pictures, you knew that they weren't your pictures, that you hadn't posed nude for photos. So, like, what was your first thought of? Like, how in the heck did this happen?

[Ellison Berry]

I was. I was shocked. I didn't believe they were. I didn't even believe this situation was happening to me. Obviously, the photos weren't real, but I was like, no one could ever do this. Why would anyone do this to me or. Or to my friend? Why is this happening to me? And I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to respond back to her. I didn't even know how to tell my mom. I just. I remember trying to ignore it and, like, forget about it, but, like, right after stepping out of my bedroom, I just, like, broke down. Yeah, I was so scared. I was terrified. And I didn't even know how to tell my parents because I didn't want them to think that these photos were real. I never wanted that pressure or that even thought about me out there. So I was really terrified. And. But thankfully, the photo was an Instagram. Instagram photo. So everyone that has followed my Instagram knows the original picture. And obviously my mom keeps up with all my social media, so she recognizes the original photo. And she was like, I know this isn't real, but she immediately was at my school by 10am and she was with the administrator and with the police officer and my principal, just trying to get my story out or write down what happened, try to figure out what was going on.

[Ally]

So at that point, did you know that the photo had been shared on Snapchat and shared to other people? Or did you just think that you and your friends or you and your one friend were the only people that had really seen it, in addition to the person who made the pictures?

[Ellison Berry]

Well, she sent me that and then said, this is going around. People are sending this to me, but don't worry, I made this so people know it's fake. And I was. I was like, who had seen this? Why has no one texted me about this? I did get an Instagram DM from a girl that I'm not friends with. I don't really talk to at all. I have one class with her, but we're not close. And she was like, hey, I have to tell you something. And I responded, and it was the same situation, telling me that these photos were going around, and if this girl that I don't know is talking to me about this, I was like, everyone must have seen this. I had to go to volleyball practice that morning, and none of my classmates knew about what was going on, but they could tell that I was. I was extremely upset and extremely disturbed. My performance was off. I couldn't focus. I wasn't my normal bubbly self. I mean, I was so terrified. I was anxious. And I went to my second period because my first period was volleyball, and I couldn't even focus. Thankfully, I was able to leave that class early because I got called down to go and tell what happened to the police officer. But as I was walking, another one of my good friends stopped me and was. And said, I'm so sorry this happened to you. And in that moment, I realized everyone has seen these. I've gotten three people in the span of two hours talking to me about this, and I was like, my entire high school had seen these, and I didn't even know what to do. I felt like everyone was looking at me. Just the mental block and the mental aspect of this. I was terrified. Everyone. This was my innocence. This is a nude photo of me. And I was a freshman. I was 14 years old, and everyone had seen this of me, and I was terrified.

[Ally]

And, Anna, what was your response? Because you said that you didn't want to tell your parents, but then you felt very quickly that you had to. She came to you at home. She was trying to explain this to you. I mean, what was your first reaction?

[Anna Berry]

Disbelief, I would say. So she walks in, bawling, of course. And I'm like, what in the world? What's wrong? It's Monday morning, and we're ready to start the week, you know? And so it was. She showed it to me, and in that moment, again, I was like, this can't be real. Like, what in the world? You know? What is this? You know? And I'm at that point looking at her picture and then the nude picture, and I'm Going, this is child pornography. I mean, what is happening here? You know, her high school's over 2,400 students. So I'm like, so this is going around. I mean, like, just the. The magnitude of that, and in that moment, realizing, okay, somebody decided her fate, and I can't. I can't help her in that moment. So my husband and I are just, like. I mean, literally sitting there going, what do we do now? We don't know who did this, what, you know? So of course, I went into mama bear mode, you know, and I'm like, okay, you go to volleyball. I'm going to the office, you know? And so met the other parents up there at the time, because we're just like, we didn't know how to navigate that, you know?

[Ally]

So you called the parent of the other girl who had sent the photo to her, and y' all decided to go to school administration right away?

[Anna Berry]

Yes. Yes.

[Ally]

Okay.

[Anna Berry]

The accounts that it came from had our school in it, so it had Alito in it, so we assumed that it was another student.

[Ally]

Okay, the account that edited the photos.

[Anna Berry]

Yes. And it was sending it out.

[Ally]

Oh, so y' all did know at that point, the account that was sending it out, you just didn't know who was associated with the account.

[Anna Berry]

Right.

[Ally]

So that's why you went to the school right away. And how did the school handle this? Initially?

[Anna Berry]

They just kind of looked at us like we were crazy.

[Ally]

Like, really?

[Anna Berry]

What? Well, what do we do? I mean, it's.

[Ally]

It's.

[Anna Berry]

It's AI, you know? So is it real? Well, if you look at it, it is real.

[Ally]

It looks real.

[Anna Berry]

Oh, completely, yeah. I mean, in every way possible. So the app that this kid used, he didn't just take her face and put it on some kind of a nude person. He actually stripped their clothes off. So it's their bodies, it's their face. And so we're sitting there trying to tell them, this is a big deal. This is going out to everybody, you know? And at the time, he had not done it on school property, so they were like, well, I'm not really sure we can do anything. We don't know what to do. We don't know who he is. So we're not sure what to do. So we called in the police at that point.

[Ally]

Yes.

[Anna Berry]

And we're like, okay. And they still didn't know what to do with it either, because nobody knew how to find him.

[Ally]

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[Ellison Berry]

So this happened on a Monday, On a, on a Monday morning. So that whole week it was terrible. After we went and I gave my, my statement to the police, I went home, didn't even want to be at school. I didn't know how to do work. I couldn't even focus on the one class I went to. So I went home immediately. I didn't go to school that next Tuesday either. I called my best friend over. I was like, please just be with me. Like, I don't even know what to do. And that Tuesday morning we woke up and more girls. So it was now up to eight girls, eight more nude photos from Instagram, all of my friend group. And I remember thinking, do I have a curse? I was like, is this happening to her because she was with me? I was shocked and she was scared. I was scared and I, I didn't even know what to do. And the account that was sending these, these photos was texting people from my school awful things saying, targeting like one of the girls and Saying, oh, she's evil, or saying all these mean things about her, and then kind of bullying us and tormenting us and just overall wanting to ruin us. And he was sending these out to our entire school. So he was adding everyone. And how Snapchat works is you have to accept it. So right when someone would accept this, he would just send them like spam. And it was terrible. No one knew what to do. People I wasn't friends with were receiving these photos. I didn't even know who had all seen them. So it was really scary. And I remember that Tuesday I had to go to school, or I had to go for at least my volleyball, because I had a volleyball game. So a lot of the school I attended was mandatory for me to play, to get playing time, to be like a good teammate. I had to show up for them. And it was. I was so scared. I was terrified. I didn't know what to do. And that Wednesday we had PSAT testing, so it almost seemed perfect. He had said he wanted to go out with a bang. Making threats to us about.

[Ally]

This guy had said this via Snapchat. This is like the message that he was sending people, I'm gonna go out with a bang. And y' all didn't know what that meant. It's a threat.

[Ellison Berry]

It's a threat.

[Anna Berry]

No. And he. So people were starting to ask him, like, why are you doing this? You need to stop, you know, why are you hurting the girls in this way? And that's when he was responding to, I want to ruin the girls. I want to go out with a bang. So then, you know, in today's world, I'm calling the school going, this could be a threat to the entire population of our school.

[Ally]

Yes.

[Anna Berry]

You need to do something about this.

[Ally]

And did the police know about that threat too?

[Anna Berry]

Yes, I did.

[Ally]

Okay. But they're still like, we don't know what to do.

[Anna Berry]

They're like, it's fine, it's okay, we'll put an extra cop up there. I mean, they didn't. They just really didn't seem to take it serious at any level. And I'm like, okay, we've got the situation with the girls and the nudes, and then now we've got a threat that he wants to go out with a bang, which he could come to school.

[Ally]

Who knows?

[Anna Berry]

Yeah, who knows? Who knows what he could do? So the whole situation was so mind numbing to me and all the parents. We're like, is no one listening? No one's paying attention here. There's a Lot of levels here.

[Ally]

Oh, my goodness, yes.

[Ellison Berry]

And that Tuesday morning when we were on the way to school and when we had first heard that he had said and made that threat, we called the school, and my mom was like, I'm not taking my kids up there. I'm not bringing her to school. And they were like, no, she's fine. She can come. It's okay. It's okay. And I was calling all of my friends. I was saying, you guys, this is real. Don't come to school. This is scary. She was calling my friend's parents, parents that weren't even involved in this because this was a serious matter. And there's school shootings and bombings and everything like that. I go to a public high school, so anything could happen. So I didn't go that Tuesday. And that Wednesday was PSAT testing. So everyone's gonna be in. Is gonna be guaranteed to be in the school. We're gonna be without our phones because we're all testing in the morning. The whole school is testing. So I was like, this is perfect timing. If he was gonna do something, this is when to do it. He has us all, like, isolated from everybody. This is perfect. So obviously, us and all the girls were freaking out. And the one thing that I will give my credit. I will give my school credit is they allowed us to be in a separate room. So we were able. All eight of the girls, we were in a separate room taking our tests, where it was just us and another teacher.

[Ally]

So you did go to school? She did go to school that day.

[Ellison Berry]

I had to this testing, and the school let us all be in a room. So that was. I give them credit. They really. They helped us on that part. But other than that, it was their.

[Anna Berry]

Mental anguish, the girls. That week was just horrible.

[Ellison Berry]

And so I had to go to school on Thursday because of volleyball. I had. I had a. I made a commitment to my team, and I couldn't. I couldn't stop. But that whole day, I was texting my mom, is there any way you can come and get me? And she's an interior designer. She's over at people's houses. There's no way she could. And I remember being terrified. And the whole day I was down at my counselor's office. There's one good counselor at my school, and she's amazing. But other than that, my school was no help. But it wasn't until that Friday, it was again second period, and the school went into lockdown. So it wasn't like a drill. There was. The lights were flashing and the announcement was going off. This is not a drill. A broadcasting system went on all over the TVs saying hide. And it was a walk down drill.

[Anna Berry]

Which we still to this day don't really even know what happened. Yeah, it was insane though. But it was like, okay, this week is like out of.

[Ellison Berry]

It was.

[Anna Berry]

We couldn't even figure out the week was insane.

[Ally]

Yeah.

[Anna Berry]

So the one good thing that happened out of it was that while they were on lockdown, this kid decided to go online to his account on, on school WI fi, start posting pictures, more of the girls. So at that point it was able to catch him.

[Ally]

And why did the school go in lockdown?

[Anna Berry]

We still don't know.

[Ally]

You still don't know. So it wasn't, I mean, connected necessarily to what he had already said?

[Anna Berry]

No, we kind of look at it. It was a divine. Because like if he hadn't done that, I don't know that we would have ever caught him and known who it was.

[Ally]

Okay. So I don't know exactly how the technology works. I do know when you connect to WI fi, you are making your identity vulnerable to everyone who you know, especially the person who owns that WI fi. So can you explain exactly how that worked? How did they find him?

[Ellison Berry]

So I guess because my school's very like, they don't want you to be on any social media or anything. So when you're on this WI fi, it kind of like blocks certain things. So when you're on it, it can sense what apps you're on. It can sense what you're doing. Yeah, it lets them know. So he was on Snapchat and on this account and sending images, I guess, to scare us if this guy's active on a Snapchat account while we're in lockdown. Oh, it must be him. Or he had some sort of crazy thing in mind. But it was truly a blessing in disguise that he did that. He went on, he was on the school WI fi and sending these photos to people posting things like that. And because he was on that school WI fi and he was on school property, he was on the school grounds. One of my school's police officers was able to track his IP address and take it back to the student that did it and catch him.

[Ally]

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[Ellison Berry]

Well, I had a class with him. Our last names are sort of similar. So when we were sitting in class and like our seating arrangements were alphabetical, I was seated by him and he was, he was a quiet kid. And when this first happened and people started suspecting him, I immediately was like, no, he would not do that. There's no way he'd do that. And he was just a nice kid. He was quiet. He wouldn't go out of his way to talk about too. But I'm very bubbly and I, I love to talk. So especially when I was sitting in class, my math class with him and this other kid, I'm always talking and I'm always engaging and he's very techie, he likes taking photos. He's very like techy technology, everything like that. And my brother sort of the same way. So I kind of saw my brother in him because they both had that fascination for technology and I'd always had a kind of soft spot for him. My brother, he didn't really do well in like my Alito school either. So I very much wanted this kid to feel seen and I didn't want anyone to experience what my brother experienced. So someone that I saw my brother in, I wanted to make sure that he would never go through something, anything like that. We had a friendship. We definitely wouldn't hang out at a school or anything, but but you were kind to him.

[Ally]

You wanted him to feel included and seen because you felt like your brother had kind of been excluded and pushed out. Exactly. You had a lot of compassion for him.

[Ellison Berry]

And he had given me a Bible. We have talked about stuff like that.

[Ally]

Really?

[Anna Berry]

Yeah, a gift. I mean, very strange.

[Ellison Berry]

And a lot of the other girls, they'd also talk to him. There was no bad blood or anything that have gone between him and any of the other girls. Like he'd bring them donuts, just. It was so bizarre why he did what he did. But still, we haven't really heard anything. We never got an apology. He was suspended, but his parents took him out of school. So we still haven't really heard much about the whole situation.

[Ally]

That's it. There's nothing that law enforcement can do here?

[Anna Berry]

Well, they did charge him with a class A misdemeanor for harmful distribution of underage material. Yeah, but it. I mean, he got probation and then it'll fall off his record when he's 18.

[Ally]

Gosh, it just feels like the punishment should be a lot heftier than that.

[Anna Berry]

And in the sheriff's department that actually pressed the charges, they were like, we just don't have any laws. We don't know how to. We don't know what to do with them. So they kind of did the only thing they thought they could do. And so because there's no laws and he's a minor, that was the issue. Him being a minor kind of protects him. And it was the same way with the school. When they knew on that Friday who he was, they're like, we've caught him. Oh, okay. Well, who is he? Oh, well, we can't tell you.

[Ally]

Because he's a minor.

[Anna Berry]

Yeah, because he's a minor. So we've got it. We've got it.

[Ally]

Wow. So did you talk to his parents?

[Anna Berry]

No, no, I never. They kind of lawyered up once that happened. And so there was no communication between us. I mean, she did some social media posts about, I'm worried he's gonna be bullied now. And I'm worried for my other kids. Oh, really? So it was never, oh, you know what? My son did a bad thing. We need to apologize to the girls. I'm gonna hide him and, you know, we're just gonna pretend like, my goodness.

[Ally]

It would take every bit of self control in me, every bit of the holy spirit not to be banging down their door. Oh, my goodness.

[Ellison Berry]

Oh, yes. We've had so many conversations about what.

[Anna Berry]

We'D like to do.

[Ally]

Oh, yeah. In this situation, I mean, I'm sure. My goodness. Okay, so you said that there's no real laws on the books. And I'm guessing that's why you were a part of this Take It down act that is going through Congress or that went through Congress. Correct. So this is. It was introduced by ted Cruz on June 18, 2024. Passed the Senate unanimously. 2024. And then you guys were a part of a roundtable this on March 3rd with Melania Trump. Right. So can you tell us how that all happened?

[Ellison Berry]

Well, when this first happened, we didn't know what to do. No one would listen. So my mom, she's a squeaky whale. So she was te and she was emailing everybody, anyone that had an inbox, she was emailing and telling our story and she did all of our state representatives and she did an inbox to our Senator Ted Cruz and his team got back to my mom and they emailed back and was like, this is a serious matter. Like, let's get together, let's talk about this. And in the beginning of June, he flew my mom and my brother up to Washington, D.C. and they were able to write up the Take It Down Act. He realized that my photos were up on social media for nine months. So this happened in October. So my photos were up from October until June. When he was able to get in touch with Snapchat and took the account that linked all of the photos of me and all of my friends, he were able to get them all down, which was, it was so refreshing. I mean, anyone could have seen these. And it was creating a weight on my shoulders, but he was able to take those down. But it wasn't with the help of. It was with the help of a political member. But we were trying to get in touch with Snapchat for months, trying to get these images down, but nothing happened. But he has kids, he has two daughters right in between, right under me and right above me, like age wise. So he couldn't even. He has a heart for this subject. So we were able to get in contact with him and then write up the Take It Down Act. And then later in June, we were able to go back up there and get to talk with him. And we were able to promote this bill as much as possible in order for it to be. For it to be passed.

[Anna Berry]

Yeah. So it was really important for him to bring on Democratic support as well. So that it was a bipartisan bill. So it was super, super important that it be bipartisan.

[Ally]

Yeah.

[Anna Berry]

And it's about the Kids.

[Ally]

It's not political.

[Anna Berry]

No, it's not political at all. It's really about protecting our children. And that's, for me, I felt like I didn't have a voice and no one was listening, so. And, you know, local police were like, if we had a law, we could do something about that. We just don't have anything. AI is progressing so quickly that we can't. You know, we're just reactive to it. We can't be proactive because it's increasing so much. So we were very thankful that Cruz and then Amy Klobuchar, who is a Democrat, she came on board as well, so that it really started just becoming this real bipartisan bill that we could try to pass. So that would provide, you know, it would make it a felon. So this kid, even being a minor, would have jail time attached to that and then hold big tech accountable as well. So 48 hours, it has to be taken down.

[Ally]

So that was a big part of it. So this makes it a federal crime. It comes with prison time, and that's good. I still think that, like, the legislature, the state legislatures also. I know that this is a federal law, and that's good. But I would like to see even stricter regulations on the state level. They're just. I mean, law is always behind the pace of technology, and we really need legislatures to recognize that and to do what they can to be ahead of it, because this is serious. This is not just reputational damage. I mean, this could. This could risk your ability to earn a livelihood in the future.

[Ellison Berry]

Not.

[Ally]

Not yours, hopefully, but just in general for victims of this. And I thank God that you had your parents, the squeaky wheel of your mom, and. But think about all of the young people that have no communities or who aren't believed and don't have people that will go to bat for them. That's where we have to have the law step in and say, okay, even if you don't have other grownups protecting you, the law is going to protect you.

[Ellison Berry]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Ally]

It's just scary.

[Ellison Berry]

And that was kind of like my motivation behind all this. I'm really big in my small group in my. In my church. And when this first happened, I immediately went to my small group leaders. One of the girls that was involved, her mom is another small group leader, so she was really good about all this. And none of the girls wanted to say anything, and I didn't even want to say anything. We were told that we shouldn't tell people. We should just put it under the rug. Alito, my school, they just want to put it under the rug. They didn't want to ruin my school's reputation. But it got to a point where it felt like this whole situation was gone and that we were just victims of this, that we had to deal with the fate that he decided for us. And something about that just did not sit right with me. So when my mom started getting in contact with all these. All these people, it made me realize that God has given me an opportunity to talk about what happened and to use my voice. And I've always been taught to be firm in my opinions and to use my voice. And thankfully, I grew up in a household that really taught me that what I feel and how I feel matters and that to fight for what's right. So when all these opportunities started appearing, I just knew that it was the Lord putting this in front of me. And growing up, I always knew that I wanted to help people, like be a therapist. But ever since this, it's really shown me that my future could be as an advocate for the people that don't get the ability to use their voice and to be someone that people can look up to for hope and for justice. And that's really what's been. Been helping me and motivating me.

[Ally]

Yeah. Well, you must be so proud. I'm proud because that takes a lot of courage. I think most people understandably. I don't think anyone would blame you if your choice was. I don't want to ever talk about this again. I'm just going to move on. I don't want to generate interest in this. But you decided that, okay, what Satan meant for evil, God is going to use for good. And I just have to follow in obedience. And you know, God says, vengeance is mine. I will repay. And one day, like, he is going to take care of all injustice. But until then, he. He uses situations like this, like yours, to, as you said, advocate for justice for the people who come after you. Share the arrows 2025 is brought to you by our friends at Good Ranchers. Y' all. I am pumped about it. We are getting closer and closer. It is going to be here before you know it. That's crazy. So go ahead, make your plans. Go to sharethe arrows.com get your tickets. Today you will hear from some of the best Christian speakers and encouragers ever. The worship was out of this world last year. It's going to be again this year because we've got Francesca coming back. I can't wait to see you guys. Meet you guys Worship with you guys. Go to sharethe arrows.com get your tickets today. Gosh, I just think about so many of our cultural problems that led to a moment like this. The pervasiveness of pornography. When you think about the so called incel movement that really is built on just hatred and resentment toward women, all of that comes into play here. And I'm thankful that you've had the platform that you have. You got to go to the State of the Union, you got to talk to the first lady, talk to congresspeople. And I just really hope and pray that God uses this to change things for the better.

[Anna Berry]

Yes, that's what we're hoping for for sure.

[Ellison Berry]

Yes, absolutely. And I can't change his. I can't change what happened to him. I mean, although it'd be amazing that he got a little bit more punishment, I've accepted what happened. And if I can't change what happened to him and I can't change my situation, then I can change others. And the Bible verse that I've been like going off of is Romans 8:28, which is God works for the good of those who love him and have been called according to his purpose. And that's really stuck out to me between this whole thing and it's really taught me that this bad situation that I've been in has completely, has completely changed. And he's really shown me that he can. He works in crazy ways. Being able to go to the State of the Union and being able to talk to senators and representatives is really, it's just such an amazing opportunity. And I've never would have thought that this situation could turn into something so big. And it's really, it's really just been amazing. And the moment that I, that I have been recognizing all of this is when we were able to go up in June and I remember being so nervous to go and we were on, I think Good Morning America. And that was what really hit me. I was like, oh, I'm going to be sharing my story in front of the whole country. This is a national news and I have to do this. And I didn't want to. I mean, right before I went on, I was like, I'm going to be admitting to this. I'm going to be a victim. I'm going to be weak and vulnerable. But then I realized God doesn't call the equipped, he equips the called. And that's just really what pushed me because I'm just. At the time I was 14 or no, I was 15, I was 15 years old when I started talking about.

[Anna Berry]

This, and 14 when it happened.

[Ellison Berry]

14 when it happened. But I'm 15 when I started talking and I realized that there are people out there that don't have anything. I mean, there was a representative in South Carolina, Brandon Guffey. His son went through something similar and he lost his son to suicide.

[Ally]

I talked to him actually on the show. Yes, it was terrible, terrible.

[Ellison Berry]

Although I'm fortunate to have such a great community and such a great family and such great friends, people out there have nothing. They have no one. And they are just forced to live with this. I mean, this is happening to people who don't have the ability to speak up. And it's really been put on my heart that I am going to do this in order to not only help others, but to show others that this is only possible through God.

[Ally]

Yes. If there was one message that you, Anna, would want to send to parents watching this, what would it be?

[Anna Berry]

It would be to have open dialogue. So I feel like we're blessed in that we've always been able to kind of talk to each other, but this subject needs to be broached with kids. So a lot of times we get contacted now, probably weekly, when this is happening to somebody else, somebody else and parents not knowing what to do and. And going, this is really a thing, you know, like, people don't even understand what is happening in regards to AI and bullying and the whole fake, deep fakes. So it's like, let's have this talk. Let's go ahead and have it so that kids don't feel like they're isolated when it happens. What happened to Gavin, you know, he didn't know what to do. He didn't know where to go. He felt threatened and he was afraid for his family. And so it's kind of like you've got to start having these conversations previous to anything happen, being proactive instead of reactive. And so it's just like have these conversations and then we've got to. We've got. Our next part of this is getting it out there to our schools. So we've got to be able to have training for teachers, for administration, for school boards who don't know what to do with it, you know, and then. And then for our, you know, our local police and sheriffs, I mean, they. If they don't know what's going on either, or don't know about, hopefully the take it down bill, when it passes into law, they're not going to know to prosecute. So it's like we have to get the word out there that there is something and you know, and have that open, open dialogue with people, put the.

[Ally]

Protocols in place and let everyone know there's a zero tolerance policy. We will turn you over to law enforcement and you will be in trouble and take it seriously from the get go, even preemptively, as you said. And parents having these proactive conversations, because as you mentioned, it's not. It's not just like guys being the perpetrators and girls being the victims. Yes, that very often happens. But as you just mentioned, that one situation, it was actually a guy, a teenage guy. And I've heard multiple of these stories. Who was the victim of someone sending an AI or photoshopped picture of them, looks like they're doing something sexual, they don't know what to do, they commit suicide. And so for parents, like, the open dialogue, both if you think your child could be susceptible to doing that and if you think your child could be susceptible to being a victim, like, also, I just want to remind parents that. And I'm, you know, I'm not a parent of teens. My kids are small, so you can back me up. I'm sure you agree, but like parents, you are still the parent, and you are allowed to take your child's phone. Like, if you think it's a possibility that your child is looking at porn or doing something like this, it doesn't matter if Your child is 17, you can take your child's phone as long as they are in your home. And I don't think it's too late to put parameters and rules about around social media use because it is a tool that even, you know, even we adults don't always handle correctly.

[Ellison Berry]

Right.

[Anna Berry]

Exactly.

[Ally]

Yeah. Well, I just appreciate y' all so much. I appreciate y' all so much and your willingness to share your story and to come on today. And I know that everyone watching will be praying for y' all and just praying for yalls protection and for God to continue to use your story. So thank you so much.

[Ellison Berry]

Thank you.

[Anna Berry]

Thank you. Yeah, we're hoping that in the next two weeks it'll be presented on the house floor and go through.

[Ally]

Okay. Well, prayers for that would be huge. Absolutely.

[Anna Berry]

Yeah. Thank you so much.

[Ally]

Thank you.