Four in ten young women have been ‘cyberflashed’; meaning they have been sent a picture of a penis without their consent. Almost half (46%) of these women were under 18 when it first happened. 

And it’s not just women who are victims of cyberflashing; 26% of 18-24-year-old men have also reported receiving unsolicited nudes. Cyberflashing is not just intimidating, it’s sexual harassment and can cause much harm and emotional distress for the victim. 

It’s for this reason that Brook, the sexual health and wellbeing charity for young people, is focused on pushing for unsolicited nudes to be made illegal. In their latest campaign, Brook has teamed up with Grey London to promote this message with a series of dramatic visuals that read 'It's illegal to flash someone irl so why not online?' 

The campaign features a series of eye-catching illustrations of people cyberflashing that will be shown on billboards up and down the country. In these bold illustrations, the genitals themselves are censored by a QR code which people that scan to then be taken to Brook’s campaign landing page to learn more about the issue. The code directs them to a platform allowing them to instantly tweet their MP to demand their support in banning cyber flashing using the hashtag #STOPCYBERFLASHING.

Laura Jordan Bambach, President and CCO UK at Grey, explained that the #StopCyberflashing campaign was intended to shock, and said: “We’re proud to be part of this powerful campaign to drive government action and education of the harm cyberflashing causes. It has been developed by a strong team of people at Grey who have had first hand experience of this damaging and growing trend, and are passionate about changing the law, and providing access to information about how to tackle it.”

Unlike public indecent exposure, incidents of cyberflashing often go unreported as the attacks on individuals can be anonymous, via the likes of AirDrop or other apps. Cyberflashing is currently a legal grey area if you are over 18 (it is illegal for anyone to send naked images to anyone under the age of 18) but Brook believes there should be no grey areas when it comes to sexual harassment; MPs must do more to tighten the laws to send the message that it is unacceptable. 

In October 2018, the Women and Equalities Committee recommended the government introduce a law criminalising cyberflashing as a sexual offence and yet, it wasn’t until July this year that a Law Commission reviewed the recommendation. The current figures on cyberflashing are said to be just “the tip of the iceberg” and yet, the government is still to take any action. With time spent on social media increasing dramatically during the pandemic and the proliferation of social media, file-sharing services and online dating apps, cyberflashing remains a growing issue.

“We want to challenge the misconception that cyberflashing is harmless or just a joke. Sending unsolicited images can cause distress and intimidation, and it needs to be recognised as sexual harassment,” explains Lisa Hallgarten, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Brook. “Having much clearer laws regarding cyberflashing would help reinforce the message that it is unacceptable. However, we also recognise that making something illegal doesn’t stop it from happening. People need to understand the harm that can be caused by carelessly sending these images and see that there is a real person on the receiving end. There also needs to be better understanding around consent so that everyone is equipped to develop safe, healthy relationships both online and in the real world.”  

Brook is also calling for greater support for victims, and better education around consent and healthy online relationships to help stop cyberflashing and hopes that this hard hitting campaign will help raise awareness around the issue. Find out more here.