It would've been easier if they just told the truth

Some of the kids on the tapes actually committed criminal acts while the others were just assholes. Why would the latter group not just throw the former under the bus? If all I did was start a rumor or publish someone else's poem without their permission, I'm not going to consider myself in the same boat as a stalker or a rapist. At most, I'd probably get some community service especially since these kids seemed to be pretty privileged. Plus, are colleges really going to reject you for stealing compliment notes for example?

I mean seriously, the only ones who would actually be going to jail before they started trying to cover everything up would be Bryce, Tyler, and possibly Sheri and Justin. Tyler, Sheri, and Justin are underage too, so they probably would've gotten some lenient treatment.

But since they all put so much effort into covering up the tapes, they pretty much made things worse for themselves legally.