Rejected petition Make it a criminal offence to film or photograph a child u18 in a public place

Make it a specific criminal offence to intentionally film or photograph a child under 18 in a public place. without the knowledge or consent of the child or their parent/guardian.

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This should cover targeted filming of underage girls and the filming of violent incidents involving young people, which are causing growing concern. While general public filming would remain legal, deliberately focusing on minors without consent would become an offence, giving police clearer powers to act and deterring exploitation or harassment.
Exceptions could apply for legitimate purposes like news reporting or family videos, but the core principle is protecting children’s privacy and safety in everyday public spaces.

This petition was rejected

Why was this petition rejected?

There’s already a petition about this issue. We cannot accept a new petition when we already have one about a very similar issue.

You are more likely to get action on this issue if you sign and share a single petition.

You may wish to sign the following petition, which calls for similar action:

Make it illegal to photograph minors in public without parental consent.
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/764169

We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.

Date submitted 14 April 2026
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