Many people who have engaged in online sexual behaviour involving children believe that there is a ‘grey area’ between what is legal and illegal. There is not.
If you are viewing any image or video of a child under 18 for sexual gratification, regardless of whether the child is nude, semi-nude or clothed, then this is illegal. The police may investigate the possession of multiple images of clothed children. If you are unsure about the age of someone in an image then you should not view it. Not knowing the age is not an excuse.
Images generated by artificial intelligence (AI) or other software and sexual drawings that show children or child-like characters are also illegal in the UK (see ‘Prohibited Images of Children’, Section 62 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009). This includes manga and anime showing sexual abuse of children.
Viewing such material can go together with thoughts that minimise or legitimise the viewing, such as ‘It’s not a real child, so it’s okay’. However, we know from our experience of working with people who look at sexual material involving children that their online behaviour can escalate and that the thoughts that give permission to such behaviour play a role in that. There is also a reinforcement of sexual attraction through viewing, gaining sexual pleasure and masturbating to thoughts/images. You can learn about this here.
If you have been using sexual drawings or other AI or computer-generated material showing child sexual abuse, we recommend that you work through our self-help modules. You could make a start with the Understanding Why module to explore your progression to viewing sexual material with children and your motivations behind it, and the Fantasy module to learn which sexual fantasies are inappropriate for you and how you can manage them.
If you are talking sexually to people online, you should always ask their age. If anyone says they are under 16 you should stop the conversation immediately, it doesn’t matter if you think they are older or that it is part of a fantasy. This is illegal and the Police will always prosecute if you continue to talk sexually to someone who states they are under 16. If you are in a ‘position of trust’ (such as a teacher, youth worker, police officer, social worker, doctor, sport or religious coach/instructor) it is illegal to sexually communicate with that child if they are under 18.
Find out more about UK law relating to offline and online offences.
The experienced advisors on our anonymous Stop It Now helpline, live chat and secure email can give you information and support to stop offending. If you’ve been arrested or sentenced for online offences, they can tell you about our Inform Plus or Engage Plus course. If you haven’t been arrested, you can access our Get Help call-back service.
Understanding behaviour
This section will help you understand how you behave online, why you do it, and what might be a problem. It will help you see if you’re doing things that could hurt you or others. When you finish the modules, it will help you see how your online actions affect your life and relationships. This can lead to using the internet in a healthier and more responsible way, so you don’t harm anyone and prevent you from offending.
We suggest you complete these two self-awareness sections before continuing with the modules below. Self-awareness: online cognition and Self-awareness: internet and values
