Students at The Cooper School in Bicester, Oxfordshire, are campaigning for a ban on the use of school uniforms in pornography, saying the depiction of school-aged identities in pornographic content is sexualising children. The pupils, all members of the school's Little Feminist Book Club, have gathered nearly 40,000 signatures on a petition demanding a change in the law.
Fifteen-year-old Willow says she feels "vulnerable" wearing her school uniform in public. "If I have time to go home and change I will, because I honestly feel vulnerable wearing it in public. It makes me feel like I'm being watched or even followed. I'm a minor and people might assume that I won't be able to defend myself, or I might make myself a target - even though what I wear doesn't define me," she said.
Students Cite Harassment and Fear
Her friend Rose added: "I no longer wear skirts. My behaviour has changed due to the sexualisation of school uniforms." Many of those signing the petition have left comments about their own experiences of harassment while wearing school uniform.
The campaign has gained attention, with the students invited to a private meeting with MP Alex Davies-Jones, Minister for Victims, Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls and International Justice. They have also written directly to Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Statistics and Expert Views
A 2025 survey of 16 to 21-year-olds by the Children's Commissioner found that, on average, children are 13 when they first see online pornography, but 27% have seen it by the age of 11. A 2018 survey by children's charity Plan International UK of 1,004 girls found that 35% of 14-21 year-olds said they had experienced unwanted sexual attention while wearing school uniform in public.
Professor Clare McGlynn of Durham University, an international expert on the regulation of pornography, said teen porn is one of the most popular subjects searched for online, associated with sexually violent content. "The porn we see on mainstream platforms is algorithmically driven. They need us to stay engaged - so platforms present us with the most shocking, polarising content. It's horrible, but teen girls being brutalised seems to be what people click on. It isn't just about the porn but the street harassment connected to it," she said.
Legal Gaps and Next Steps
New laws governing pornography introduced next month, as part of the Crime and Policing Act, will make adults roleplaying as children under 16 a criminal offence. However, the pupils point out that actors over 18 can still play 17-year-olds and be dressed in uniform.
Lauren Agnew, head of policy and public affairs at Centre to End All Sexual Exploitation (CEASE), said: "The Crime and Policing Act criminalises pornography in which adults pretend to be under 16. School uniforms can be evidence of that, but it isn't banned outright. The law also leaves a dangerous gap for 16 and 17-year-olds, who are still children and often still in uniform. Offline, the British Board of Film Classification can refuse to classify pornography in which adults role-play as under-18s. Online, the new offence stops at 16. Pornography presenting adults as 16 and 17-year-olds can, therefore, still fall outside that offence. The Government's review of online pornography must close this gap. The students at The Cooper School have led the way. Now ministers must act."
Minister Alex Davies-Jones said: "Pornography must never normalise or glorify the sexual abuse of children. That's why we are changing the law so possessing or sharing pornography which depicts an adult pretending to be a child under 16 will be an imprisonable offence. This is part of our wider crackdown on harmful pornography and tackling the attitudes that contribute to violence and abuse against women and girls."
Comments on the petition include: "As a teenager who wears a school uniform every day, I feel unsafe. I feel sexualised, I feel scared, and I shouldn't have to just because men can't control themselves." Another said: "I have daughters and all of them have reported unwanted sexual advances in their school uniforms. All reported it was from men aged 45-65."
