UK Students Launch Petition to Ban School Uniforms from Pornography
A group of teenage girls from The Cooper School in Bicester, Oxfordshire, have launched a petition calling on the UK government to ban the use of school uniforms in pornographic content, arguing the clothing has become "inherently sexual" and is being used to evoke childhood identities.
The petition, started by the school's "Little Feminist Book Club," has gathered over 26,000 signatures and received public support from local MPs and government ministers.
"We're Not 'Sexy Schoolgirls'"
The pupils say their campaign is about ending the normalisation of the "sexy schoolgirl" trope, which they argue contributes to real-world harassment.
Speaking to the BBC, 15-year-old Aylin said the school uniform is "meant to symbolise a community," but it has been "tarnished... and warped by sexualisation".
Willow, 14, told LBC that she avoids wearing her uniform in public when possible. "I go home and change, because I feel vulnerable," she said. Her classmate Mae, 15, said she is not comfortable walking down the street in uniform out of "fear".
A 2018 survey by the charity Plan International UK found that 35% of 1,004 girls aged 14 to 21 had experienced unwanted sexual attention while wearing school uniform, with 13% saying it happened when they were 12 or under.
The Legal Grey Area
In April 2026, the UK government passed legislation as part of the Crime and Policing Act making it a criminal offence to possess or share pornographic content featuring adults pretending to be under 16.
However, the law has not yet come into force, and critics say it does not cover the specific use of school uniforms.
Clare McGlynn, professor of law at Durham University, told the BBC that the legislation creates a "grey area" because most British schools drop uniform at sixth form, but some persist until 18 — allowing porn producers to argue that school uniform content depicts over-16s.
"The genre of teen pornography is, unfortunately, one of the largest categories in mainstream pornography," McGlynn said. "But it's not just that — it's also closely associated with more violent and aggressive material".
Government Response
Alex Davies-Jones, the minister for victims and tackling violence against women and girls, said she commended the pupils for speaking out.
"Young women and girls should not have to grow up seeing their school uniforms sexualised," Davies-Jones said. "Pornography must never normalise or glorify the sexual abuse of children".
MP Calum Miller, who represents the Bicester area, said he was "full of admiration" for the campaigners. "I was shocked to hear some of them feel anxious to wear uniform because adults make sexual comments towards them," he said.
What the Petition Asks
The students are calling for school uniforms to be specifically included in the ban on pornographic content depicting under-16s. They argue that school uniform in pornography is "explicitly designed to evoke childhood".
The petition has gained attention from Baroness Bertin, an architect of the 2026 legal reforms, who described it as an "important issue". Two MPs have already voiced their support, and the students hope to get Parliament to debate the matter.
Wider Context
The campaign comes amid growing concern about harassment of schoolgirls in the UK. A 2026 study by Plan International UK found that one in five girls experience sexual or physical harassment before they turn 12, and 87% of girls and young women aged 16 to 24 have received unwanted comments about their appearance.
The research also found that 58% of girls change how they dress to feel safe in public, and 64% of parents are concerned about raising a daughter in today's climate.
The students behind the campaign say the issue is about more than clothing. "If you're sexualising school uniform, you're sexualising a child," Aylin said.