A group of teenage girls from Oxfordshire have launched a petition and written to the prime minister, urging the government to ban the use of school uniforms in pornography. The students argue that such content is a clear example of material that sexualizes children and young people.
"We're not 'sexy schoolgirls'. We're not objects. We're students, and more importantly, children," stated one of the campaigners. The pupils from The Cooper School in Bicester believe that the intended symbolism of community within school uniforms has been "tarnished… and warped by sexualisation."
The campaign was initiated by members of the school's Little Feminist Book Club. They contend that school uniforms are utilized in pornography specifically to "evoke childhood and school-age identities."
Since its launch, the petition has garnered over 26,000 signatures. Many women have shared their experiences, reporting that they felt most sexualized when wearing their school uniforms as children. "I go home and change, because I feel vulnerable," shared one 14-year-old student who avoids wearing her uniform in public out of fear.
Clare McGlynn, a professor of law at Durham University and author of "Exposed: The problem of Extreme Porn," supports the campaign, calling it an important step in raising national awareness. "It's raising a national conversation about just how problematic it is that we use school uniforms in mainstream pornography," she said, adding that this material is clearly focused on "eroticising and sexualizing young girls."
McGlynn noted that while new legislation passed in April as part of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 makes it a criminal offense to possess or share pornographic content featuring adults pretending to be under 16, school uniform material may not be covered if the performers are clearly stated to be over 16. However, she emphasized that this distinction often fails to reflect the reality of such content, which aims to portray young girls.
The Minister for Victims, Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls, and International Justice, Alex Davies-Jones, commended the students' initiative. "Young women and girls should not have to grow up seeing their school uniforms sexualised, and I commend these pupils for speaking out about something they feel so strongly about," Davies-Jones stated. "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."
Davies-Jones added that these legislative changes are part of a broader effort to combat harmful pornography and address attitudes that contribute to violence and abuse against women and girls. The students expressed hope that such legislative action will contribute to a world where the sexualization of children is less normalized and young people are safer.