Sexting Laws in the UK: Guidance for Parents and Schools

The legal framework: which laws apply

Several pieces of legislation are potentially relevant when a young person under 18 creates, shares, or receives sexual images. The key laws are:

• Protection of Children Act 1978

  This Act makes it a criminal offence to take, make, distribute, show, or possess an indecent image of a child under 18. Crucially, “making” includes downloading or opening an image — so simply receiving and opening an image can technically constitute an offence. The Act applies regardless of whether the person photographed consented, and regardless of whether the young person creating or sharing the image is themselves under 18.

• Sexual Offences Act 2003

  This Act covers a wide range of sexual offences involving children, including causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. Where an adult pressures, manipulates, or coerces a young person into producing or sending sexual images, this may constitute grooming or a more serious sexual offence under this Act.

• Online Safety Act 2023

  The Online Safety Act places new duties on social media platforms and messaging services to protect children from harmful content, including child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and content that facilitates grooming. It also created new criminal offences around the sharing of intimate images without consent (“cyberflashing”) and the non-consensual sharing of deepfake intimate images. Platforms are now legally required to remove CSAM promptly and to report it to the National Crime Agency.

How police approach under-18 sexting cases

The law technically criminalises sexting between under-18s, even when both young people are the same age and both consented. In practice, however, police and prosecutors use their discretion carefully and the approach varies significantly by context:

The College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs' Council guidance makes a clear distinction between:

• •Peer-on-peer incident: Where two young people of similar age share images consensually. These are usually handled educationally, not criminally.
• •Distribution without consent: Where an image is shared beyond the original recipient — often called “revenge porn” even when under 18. This is treated more seriously.
• •Adult involvement: Where an adult solicited or received images from a young person. This is treated as a serious safeguarding matter and likely criminal investigation.
• •Coercion: Where pressure, threats, or grooming were involved. This significantly increases the severity of police response regardless of the ages involved.

Understanding “Outcome 21”

Outcome 21 is a police recording outcome introduced in 2016 specifically to address youth sexting. It allows police to record an incident as dealt with by “local resolution” — meaning no formal action is taken, no referral to the Crown Prosecution Service, and no criminal record for the young person involved. It is designed for cases where two young people of similar age have consensually shared images, neither is at risk, and an educational response is more appropriate than prosecution. The existence of Outcome 21 means that, in genuine peer-on-peer cases without coercion or adult involvement, the police response is far more likely to involve a conversation and school referral than a charge. However, Outcome 21 is not guaranteed — the police still record the incident and the circumstances determine whether it is applied.

What parents should do

If you discover that your child has been involved in sending, receiving, or sharing sexual images — whether as the creator, recipient, or someone who forwarded them:

• •Stay calm. Your child needs to feel they can talk to you without immediate punishment or panic. Your reaction in the first conversation shapes whether they come to you in future.
• •Do not look at or share the images yourself. Even viewing an indecent image of a child — including your own child — without a lawful purpose can technically be an offence. The priority is deletion.
• •Report CSAM to the IWF. The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) can help remove images from platforms. Their website provides a confidential reporting tool at iwf.org.uk.
• •Contact the school if relevant. Schools have safeguarding obligations and trained staff who can help manage peer-to-peer situations and support your child.
• •Contact CEOP if an adult is involved. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection command (CEOP) is the specialist police unit for online child sexual abuse. You can make a report at ceop.police.uk.
• •Call the NSPCC Helpline. 0808 800 5000 is free, available 24/7, and staffed by trained child protection professionals who can advise without judgement.

What schools should do

Schools in England and Wales must follow the Department for Education's “Keeping Children Safe in Education” (KCSIE) statutory guidance, which specifically addresses youth-produced sexual imagery. Schools are required to: treat any incident as a safeguarding matter rather than a disciplinary one; refer to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL); consider whether the incident is peer-on-peer or involves an adult; and follow the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) guidance “Sexting in Schools and Colleges.” Schools should not confiscate devices and then view images themselves — this creates legal risk for staff. They should work with the police and local authority designated officer (LADO) as appropriate. The goal of the school response should be to support the young people involved and prevent further harm, not to punish.