Rejected petition: Make photographing children under 16 in public without parental consent illegal
Rejected on
We want the Government to introduce legislation making it a criminal offence to take photographs or video footage of children under the age of 16 in public spaces without the explicit consent of their parent or legal guardian.
Currently, there is no general right to privacy in a public place under UK law, meaning anyone can legally take photos of children in public areas such as parks, beaches, or high streets without parental permission.
With the rise of smartphones and rapid online sharing, we believe current laws do not adequately protect children's privacy or safety. While safeguarding policies exist for schools and clubs, parents have no legal recourse when strangers take photos of their children in public.
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 a criminal offence to take direct pictures of other people’s children
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/766876We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.