Boris Johnson Has Agreed That Cyberflashing Should Be Illegal

After a long campaigning effort by Grazia – supported by MPs and celebrities alike - Boris Johnson has agreed that cyberflashing should be made illegal as part of the new Online Harms Bill.

Yesterday, senior MPs from the Liaison Committee quizzed Johnson on his commitment to tackling male violence. When he was asked about his thoughts on cyberflashing, he encouraged conservative MP Julian Knight to draft a proposal that captures the full scale of the problem.

‘I don’t care whether flashing is cyber or not, it should be illegal,’ Johnson told the committee. ‘If we can do something in the Online Harms Bill to stop cyber flashing, which is something that is clearly a scourge that is developing, (we should)’.

Johnson’s comments come after six months of campaigning by Grazia, with backing from actor Emily Atack, Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd and MPs Maria Miller and Jess Phillips. As part of the campaign, the women opened up about their own experiences of receiving unsolicited explicit images and the harmful toll it took on them personally.

‘The experience of receiving these photos isn’t momentary or fleeting, as I can attest,’ Whitney wrote for Grazia this week. ‘Those on the receiving end are often left feeling violated, less trusting of others online, and more vulnerable when using the internet. It can also trigger past traumas.’

Research from YouGov shows that four in 10 millennial women have been sent an unsolicited photo of a man’s genitals without consent. But Bumble’s own research, carried out by Research Without Barriers, suggests that this figure is much higher, with 48% of those aged 18 to 24 receiving an explicit or nude photo they didn’t ask for in the last year alone.

Now, with backing from the prime minister, the campaign to make cyberflashing a crime is ramping up just as the Online Harm Bill is set to be published. While you can still make your voice heard by signing the petition here, the bill is expected to be finalised next month. Hopefully, with Boris Johnson's approval, women will finally be somewhat safer in online spaces.

To sign Grazia's petition to make Cyberflashing a crime, click here.

Read More:

Cyberflashing In Schools: 'I Hate That This Was One Of Her First Sexual Experiences – Something She Didn’t Want'

Meet The Women Fighting To Make Online Spaces Safer

‘Flashing Won’t Fly On The Street, So It Shouldn’t Be Tolerated In Your Inbox’