Closed petition Make it illegal to photograph children in public places without parental consent

Closed on 9 April 2019

I was recently in a park in Newcastle when a man I didn’t know approached my 3 year old son and crouched down in front on him within touching distance and started taking his photo on his phone. I was disturbed by this and contacted the police to be told it is legal and there is nothing they can do.

Quote taken from Wikipedia:

‘Photography of certain subject matter is restricted in the United Kingdom. In particular, the Protection of Children Act 1978 restricts making or possessing pornography of children under 18, or what looks like pornography of under-18s. There is no law prohibiting photographing children in public spaces’

As my son was fully clothed it was not illegal for a stranger to photograph him without my consent. This I feel is worryingly wrong and does not protect our children.