For anyone under 18, sharing intimate photos is never safe and never legal.
Even if you trust your partner.
Even if you care about each other.
Even if you meant it to stay private.

Creating or sharing an intimate image of anyone under 18 is against the law.

What counts as an intimate image #

An intimate or indecent image can include:

• Full nudity
• Partial nudity
• Underwear photos meant to be sexual
• Any photo or video taken with a sexual intention
• Any image that focuses on private areas
• Any image that feels sexual or has sexual meaning

If the intention behind the image is sexual, it is classed as an indecent image.
The law sees this as a crime, no matter who took it or who received it.

Why it’s illegal for under-18s #

For anyone under 18:

• Creating an intimate image of yourself is illegal
• Sending it to someone else is illegal
• Receiving it from someone else is illegal
• Saving it on a phone is illegal
• Sharing it further is illegal

This includes sending an intimate photo to your partner.
It also includes your partner sending an image of themselves to you.

Even if a person is over 18, sending an intimate image to someone under 18 is still a crime.

These laws exist to protect young people from pressure, risk, and harm.

The risks of sharing intimate photos #

Even when you trust someone, risks can happen that you didn’t expect.

Photos can be:

• Saved
• Screen-recorded
• Forwarded
• Taken from backups
• Accessed if someone gets into a phone
• Re-shared during arguments or breakups
• Leaked online
• Hard or impossible to remove once posted

Once an image exists, you cannot fully control what happens to it.

Even if someone deletes a photo, it may still be stored in:

• Cloud backups
• Recently deleted folders
• Chats or screenshots
• Someone else’s device

This is why the safest option is not to create these images at all.

If you’re worried someone has an intimate photo of you #

You are not alone and there is help.

If someone has an intimate image of you that you did not want to be taken or shared, or if you’re scared it might be posted:

• Tell a safe adult you trust
• Talk to a teacher, parent, carer, or safeguarding lead
• Use support services that can help get images removed
• Contact organisations that specialise in online safety

You deserve support and protection.
You will not be in trouble for asking for help.

Key things to remember #

• Under 18s should never create or share intimate photos
• It is illegal to create, send, receive, or share intimate images of anyone under 18
• Images can spread or be saved without your control
• Even when someone promises to delete an image, it can still exist elsewhere
• If you’re worried, talk to someone you trust and get support
• Your safety matters more than any pressure or request from a partner

You deserve relationships that respect you, protect you, and keep you safe.