What the term covers
Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) 2026 now uses one phrase throughout: making or sharing nudes and semi-nudes. It means the creation, sending or posting of nude or semi-nude images by young people under 18, and “images” includes photos, videos and livestreams.
KCSIE 2026 adds that images may be taken by the child themselves or “taken or created by another person”, and may be “digitally altered or wholly generated using artificial intelligence, including what are sometimes described as ‘deepfakes’ or ‘deep nudes’”. Older terms such as “sexting” and “youth produced sexual imagery” have been replaced.
The main how-to document is the UK Council for Internet Safety (UKCIS) advice, Sharing nudes and semi-nudes: advice for education settings working with children and young people, last updated in March 2024. It is non-statutory, but KCSIE points schools to it repeatedly. There is also a one-page overview for all staff.
The UKCIS advice is about children. An adult sharing nudes of an under-18 is child sexual abuse and must be referred to the police urgently.
The law
Making, possessing or sharing an indecent image of anyone under 18 is an offence under the Protection of Children Act 1978, and this includes images of yourself if you are under 18. The UKCIS advice explains that this covers “pseudo-images”: computer-generated images made with editing software, deepfake apps or AI text-to-image generators. KCSIE 2026 says the same in a footnote: taking and sharing nude images of under-18s, “including those generated using AI”, is a criminal offence.
The law was written to protect children, not criminalise them. The UKCIS advice says children “should not be unnecessarily criminalised”, and that even when police are involved a formal sanction would only be considered in exceptional circumstances.
What every member of staff should do
From the UKCIS overview for all staff:
Do:
- report it to the DSL, or a deputy, straight away
- explain to the pupil that you have to pass it on, and reassure them they will get help and support
- tell the DSL if you have already seen the image by accident, and ask for support
Don’t:
- view, copy, print, share, store or save the image, or ask a pupil to show, send or download it
- delete the image or ask the pupil to delete it
- question the pupils involved about the image. That is the DSL’s job
- share information about it with other staff, pupils or parents
- say or do anything that blames or shames the young people involved
KCSIE 2026 repeats the core rule: staff “should not view or forward illegal images of a child” (paragraph 558).
What the DSL does
Initial review
The UKCIS advice says the DSL should hold an initial review meeting with the right staff. It should establish whether any child is at immediate risk, whether to refer to the police or children’s social care, whether anyone needs to view the image (usually not), how widely it has spread, and whether to contact parents.
When to refer straight away
The DSL should refer immediately to the police or children’s social care, usually through the multi-agency safeguarding hub (MASH), if:
- an adult is involved, including an adult posing as a child
- a child has been coerced, blackmailed or groomed, or there are concerns about their capacity to consent, for example because of special educational needs
- what is known about the content suggests sexual acts unusual for the child’s development, or violence
- the images involve sexual acts and any child in them is under 13
- a child is at immediate risk of harm, for example presenting as suicidal or self-harming
If none of these apply, the DSL may decide the school can manage the incident through pastoral support and the behaviour policy. That decision should involve the headteacher, be recorded, and be revisited if more comes to light.
Viewing and deleting
Viewing is a last resort. The DSL may decide to view only if it is the only way to decide whether to involve other agencies, if it is needed to get an image taken down, or if it is unavoidable. Viewing should happen on school premises, with another senior member of staff present, and be recorded. Any device going to the police should be switched off and locked away.
Later, once the DSL has assessed the incident, the UKCIS advice says pupils will usually be asked to delete the images and confirm they have. That is the DSL’s decision, recorded, not something to do in the moment.
Parents
Parents and carers should be told and involved early unless that would put the child at risk. Any decision not to tell them should be made with children’s social care or the police.
Recording
All incidents should be recorded, including those not referred on. Where the school decides not to refer, it should record why and have that signed off by the headteacher or leadership team. Never keep copies of the image.
A safeguarding response every time
KCSIE 2026 makes clear that every incident needs a safeguarding response, whether or not the sharing was consensual. The response should be proportionate, taking account of the children’s ages, development and circumstances, and any coercion, exploitation or vulnerability (paragraph 530). It notes that consensual sharing between older children of a similar age may need a different response. It might not be abusive, but children still need to know it is illegal (footnote to paragraph 193).
The school’s child protection policy should set out its approach to consensual and non-consensual sharing, “including those generated using AI” (paragraph 193).
Getting images removed
- Report Remove, from Childline and the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), lets a young person report a nude image of themselves shared online.
- Take It Down, from the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, creates a digital fingerprint of an image so that some platforms can find copies.
- Adults can report to the IWF where a platform has no public reporting route.
The UK Safer Internet Centre runs a helpline for professionals on 0344 381 4772.