The kid was stupid to record it, and stupider to show it.
FWIW Note that the article says they don’t know whether he showed it to anyone or not.
An assumption of yours?
Yes, it is an assumption based on what is revealed in the article. It comes from understanding human nature and what it is to be a young boy. It does state that they weren’t sure if he showed it to anyone else or not. However, if he didn’t actively show it, this only leaves five other options to why this came to a head, three bad, and the other two unlikely:
1.) Bad: He bragged to his friends he had it and didn’t show it, word got out. To me, this is nearly as bad as showing it.
2.) Bad: It was a consensual recording, she knew he had it, and was afraid he was going to show it because he said he would or was blackmailing her and she told school or her parents.
3.) Bad: School officials, the girl, or some other kid had his phone and saw it, and word got out.
4.) Unlikely: The girl did not know of the recording, and he confessed or showed it to her and she went to authorities.
5.) Unlikely: He was watching it and someone else saw him watching it and went to authorities.
In any case, the most obvious scenario (and as a result, usually most likely) is that the recording was likely consensual (I imagine it would take some maneuvering to have a non-consensual recording with a cell phone, but it is possible) and he showed it to someone, and word got out.
I am not trying to indict the kid, it is pretty clear he was guilty of recording it and having it on his phone. I sympathize with him for his lack of common sense and decency (in recording it in the first place) both of which can be bypassed by a young boy awash in hormones.