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Consent. Scenario 8 of 34. Intimate images

The group chat

Dev, one of your mates, posts a photo in your group chat. It is a nude that his ex sent him privately while they were together.

People are replying with laughing emojis.

What is the best call?
Not the best call

Reacting tells Dev the group approves, and makes the next share more likely. You did not post it, but you have joined the audience she never agreed to.

Could be better

You are no longer part of it, which is something. But the photo is still there and nobody has objected. If speaking up in the group feels like too much, a private message to Dev does the same job.

Not the best call

Now you have shared it too. Sharing someone's intimate image without their consent is a criminal offence, and "someone sent it to me first" is not a defence.

Good call

You have named the problem in one line and said what should happen next. One person objecting is often all it takes for others to agree. It also tells Dev, as a friend, that he is putting himself at risk.

The principle

Consent is specific. A photo sent to one person is for that person only. It is not consent for anyone else to see it, then or later.

If this brings something up for you

You can stop at any time. These UK services are free and confidential. In an emergency, call 999.

  • Rape Crisis England & WalesFree 24/7 support line and online chat for anyone aged 16 or over.
  • SurvivorsUKFor men, boys and non-binary people who have experienced sexual violence.
  • GalopFor LGBT+ people who have experienced abuse or violence.
  • Revenge Porn HelplineFor adults whose intimate images have been shared, or threatened to be.
  • SamaritansSomeone to talk to, day or night, about anything.

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