Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to stop the use and depiction of (a) actual and (b) doll babies in explicit pornographic online content.

A range of criminal offences may apply where material depicts, or appears to depict, a child in a sexualised or pornographic context, including offences relating to indecent images of children under the Protection of Children Act 1978 and the Criminal Justice Act 1988. Whether an offence has been committed will depend on the specific facts of the case, including the nature of the material and the context in which it was created, shared, or possessed.

In addition, offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 may also be relevant where the circumstances indicate that sexual activity involving or in the presence of a child has taken place.

The Online Safety Act 2023 also places robust duties on online platforms to tackle illegal content, including child sexual abuse material.

The Government keeps the criminal law under review to ensure children are appropriately protected and remains committed to tackling all forms of child sexual abuse wherever they occur.