Online child sexual abuse and the law

Understanding what the law says about online child sexual abuse can help you understand your rights, and help protect you online.

There are laws in the UK that are designed to help protect children and young people from being sexually harmed online.

Below are answers to common questions young people might have about the law relating to online child sexual abuse.

Online child sexual abuse is when someone uses the internet to harm a child or young person (anyone under the age of 18) in a sexual way. This can include:

• Grooming - building a relationship with a child or young person, with the intention of tricking, pressuring or forcing them into doing something sexual.

• Asking for or keeping sexual images or videos of children or young people.
• Creating or sharing sexual images of children or young people – including real images and videos and ones created by Artificial Intelligence (called AI – Child Sexual Abuse Material)

• Sending sexual messages to someone under the age of 16.

• Online blackmail – when someone threatens to share a person’s private information, images or videos unless they do something for them. This includes:
  • Financially Motivated Sexual Extortion (FMSE): blackmail that involves an offender wanting money or another financial demand
  • Blackmail for Further Images (BFFI): blackmail that involves an offender wanting more images.

Is it illegal for someone to ask for or share sexual images or videos of anyone under 18?

Yes. It is against the law to ask, create, share or keep sexual images or videos of anyone under 18. This also includes images and videos created using Artificial Intelligence (AI). Even if the person sharing is under 18 themselves, it is still illegal. The law is there to protect, not punish you.

Is it illegal to groom someone under 18 online or try to meet them for sexual reasons?

Grooming is a criminal offence. This means building a relationship with a child or young person to trick, pressure or force them into sexual activity is against the law. Trying to meet someone under 18 for sexual reasons is also illegal.

Is it illegal to use threats, blackmail or money to pressure someone into sending sexual content or messages?

Yes. Using threats, blackmail or offering money to make someone send sexual images, videos or messages is illegal. This includes Financially Motivated Sexual Extortion (FMSE) and Blackmail for Further Images (BFFI).

Is it illegal for an adult to send sexual images to a child or young person?

Yes. It is against the law for an adult to send sexual messages to anyone under 16. This includes messages that are sexual in nature, even if no images are shared.

Is it illegal to take a nude and send it to someone else?

Creating or sharing sexual images of anyone under 18 is illegal, even if you are the person in the image. If someone has been coerced, groomed or later regretted sending an image, it’s not their fault and there is help available to report and remove the image.

Is it illegal to share a nude you’ve been sent of someone under 18?

Sharing a nude image or video of someone under 18 is illegal, even if you didn’t take the photo and the person gave permission. This includes sending it to friends, posting it online or sharing it privately. 

Do teachers or the police view nudes of young people that are reported to them?

Teachers should never look at, copy or share nude images of young people. If a nude is reported, they will tell the school’s safeguarding lead straight away. The safeguarding lead might only look at an image if it’s absolutely necessary to keep someone safe.

Police may need to look at images as part of an investigation but this is done very carefully and only by trained officers following strict rules to protect you.

If something online feels uncomfortable, unsafe or confusing, it’s ok to ask for help. Support is available and you do not have to deal with it alone.

What if I’ve already shared something?

If you’ve sent a sexual image, video or message, you’re not alone.

What matter is:

• You’re not to blame
• Help is available
• You can report it and get support

You can report online child sexual abuse to the CEOP Safety Centre

There is also help to get nude images removed from online spaces using Report Remove, a free and confidential tool from Childline and the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF).

Can I report someone even if I don’t know who they are?

Yes, reports can be made even if the persons identity isn’t known. The CEOP Safety Centre and other reporting services can still help.

Will I get in trouble for reporting something?

No, reporting is about getting help and staying safe. Reporting and support services won’t blame or punish someone asking for help.