You've probably got a firm idea of the sort of person who might get caught looking at indecent images of children. You also probably think this could never happen to you. You're not the type of person to do anything like that, right? But you might not actually know what constitutes an indecent image of someone underage in the eyes of the law.
Many people think that, because the age of sexual consent in the UK is 16, viewing sexual content of people over that age is legal, too. It's not. Taking, making, sharing or possessing sexual images of anyone under the age of 18 is illegal. It doesn't even matter if you were sent a link to a sexual image or saw it on a well-known site. It's against the law - end of story.
Commit any offence like the above and you could end up on the Sex Offenders Register, get a criminal record, or even run the risk of a prison sentence, where the maximum is 10 years. Look, we're not here to lecture anyone - but it's a surprisingly relevant topic that needs to be talked about. The law is not just about the guys who make and upload images or videos of children, but also anyone who knowingly views them.
It's not only the victim's life which could be ruined. Can you imagine potentially having to explain to employers, family members, friends or girlfriends why you've got a record? Something none of us want to consider, but also something that can be prevented if we're all clued up if/when choosing to look at porn online.
We're both over 16; what's the big deal?
In the UK, you can legally have sex at 16. That means you're an adult, right? But, when it comes to explicit imagery or videos, anyone aged under 18 is considered a child by the courts. That's it and there's no way around it. So, to the letter of the law, it's equally as bad to interact with a sexual image of a 17-year-old as a 15-year-old.
The law is in place to protect young people from being exploited. Deciding to take an explicit photograph of yourself, aged 16 or 17, might seem like no big deal, but once it's been sent and uploaded you have no control over where it ends up, or who sees it. Once it's out there it can be next to impossible to remove.
But if it's already on the internet looking at a video /image isn't hurting anyone...
Remember, the people in these pictures are real individuals, and if they're under 18 they're children. Having their images splashed all over the internet has a devastating long term impact on their lives and also the lives of their family and friends. Survivors of this kind of abuse say one of the worst things is knowing that the images/videos are out there and being looked at but they are powerless to get them back. It takes years of specialist counselling to help them come to terms with the abuse and get their education, relationships and lives in general back on track.
What should I do if I see any images like this online?
This isn't just about protecting the people in the images from suffering ongoing harm, it's also about keeping yourself safe by knowing the law and using the internet responsibly. If you do see an image that seems to be of someone under 18, you can actually do them a favour and report it quickly and anonymously to the Internet Watch Foundation. Your report could help prevent a child from suffering further abuse.
If you have been affected by any of these issues, more information and support can be found here.
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