UK Teenage Students Launch Petition Calling for Ban on High School Uniforms in Porn Videos

Teenage students at The Cooper School in Bicester, Oxfordshire, are calling for school uniforms to be banned from pornographic content, arguing that the sexualisation of their everyday clothing is affecting their sense of safety.

Organised through the school's Little Feminist Book Club, the campaign has attracted over 28,000 verified signatures on Change.org, according to the petition's latest available figures. Launched on 9 September 2026, it calls on the UK Government to prohibit the use of school uniforms in adult content.

The students argue that traditional school attire, including plaid skirts and fitted blazers, has been turned into a sexualised costume associated with school-age girls.

One 15-year-old campaigner, Mae, told the BBC: 'This is something that makes people sexy. But I'm a child.'

They have also described feeling uncomfortable wearing their uniforms outside school because of unwanted attention, including catcalling and sexual comments. Mae also said the thought of wearing her uniform in public filled her with 'fear'.

The campaign seeks to challenge what the pupils regard as the normalisation of sexualised depictions of school-age girls, rather than targeting school uniforms themselves.

MPs Back Campaign as Legal Questions Emerge

The movement has received support from politicians, including Labour MP Alex Davies-Jones, who has worked on issues involving violence against women and girls.

'Young women and girls should not have to grow up seeing their school uniforms sexualised,' Davies-Jones said. 'I commend these pupils for speaking out about something they feel so strongly about.'

Liberal Democrat MP Calum Miller has also voiced support for the students. According to the petition, he said: 'I am full of admiration for the members of the Little Feminist Bookclub at the Cooper School. These fierce campaigners have identified an issue that affects them and does harm to many other girls and women.'

It's fitting that the campaign comes amid wider government efforts to address harmful pornography and online exploitation. The Crime and Policing Act 2026 includes provisions targeting pornographic images that realistically depict sexual activity involving someone who is, or is presented as being, under 16.

However, the relevant provision was still listed as prospective in the legislation's version dated 29 September, meaning it had not yet come into force at that point.

The legislation does not establish a blanket ban on adults wearing school uniforms in pornography. The students argue that this leaves a gap in addressing content that uses school clothing to evoke childhood, even where the performers are adults.

Wider Debate Over Sexualisation and Online Safety

The petition also highlights concerns about the availability of schoolgirl-themed costumes through mainstream retail channels and the prevalence of school-age imagery in adult entertainment.

The debate extends beyond pornography to how commercial products and online content reinforce sexualised stereotypes. Campaigners say this can affect girls who wear similar clothing in everyday life.

The students' concerns also reflect wider worries about public harassment. A 2018 survey cited in the petition found that 35 per cent of 1,000 girls and young women aged 14 to 21 had experienced unwanted sexual attention while wearing school uniform.

For the pupils at The Cooper School, the aim is clear: to wear their uniforms without fear of unwanted sexual attention. They are urging ministers to consider whether existing protections go far enough.