Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that young people understand the legal consequences of creating and sharing AI generated sexual images; and what measures he is putting in place to ensure that sentencing guidelines are sufficient to deter young people from engaging in this behaviour.

This Government recognises that harmful sexual behaviour by children requires early, decisive and preventative action. That is why we introduced revised statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education guidance requiring all secondary pupils to be taught about the law relating to online image and information sharing, including AI generated sexual imagery and deepfakes. This involves young people understanding the potentially serious consequences of acquiring or generating indecent or sexual images of someone under 18, including the potential for criminal charges and severe penalties, including imprisonment.

The Sentencing Code sets out the statutory framework for sentencing, whilst the independent Sentencing Council produces and evaluates sentencing guidelines as per its statutory duty. The Government’s position is that courts must have access to interventions that are robust and effective. That is why, as set out in the Youth Justice White Paper published in May 2026, we intend to strengthen the availability of more intensive sentences, giving youth courts greater access to impose rigorous interventions that tackle offending behaviour and reduce reoffending.