Emily Atack speaks out in support of campaign to ban specific type of porn

Emily Atack has backed an important campaign by a group of schoolgirls who are seeking to ban uniforms from porn.

Four pupils, who are part of the Little Feminist Book Club at Cooper School in Bicester, have launched a national campaign urging the UK government to stop school uniforms from appearing in adult content.

Their petition, which currently has over 42,000 signatures, reads: “The possession and publication of this repulsive content clearly aims to simulate a child. We are calling on the Prime Minister to ban this use of the uniform designed to make us feel safe.”

They outlined that it’s a ‘clear example of material that sexualises children and young people’ and is ‘explicitly designed to evoke childhood and school-age identities’.

This year, the government introduced new legislation making it a criminal offence to possess or share pornographic content featuring adults pretending to be under 16, which will come into place on 6 November.

However, because secondary schools and sixth-form students can wear uniforms up to age 18, a concerning loophole means that actors who are older than 16 can still legally wear school uniforms in porn.

The Rivals star said she's with the group 'all the way' (Karwai Tang/Getty Images)

Atack shared BBC News’ coverage of the story to Instagram and penned: “With you all the way,” alongside a red heart emoji.

The British actress and comedian has previously spoken out about her own experiences with being ‘sexualised’ in a uniform, as she rose to fame on The Inbetweeners as pupil Charlotte Hinchcliffe.

In 2024, she took part in a BBC documentary called Emily Atack: Asking For It?, where she explored why she is sexually harassed online on a daily basis.

Part of the doc saw her meet with a group of young girls who had been sent explicit images from men.

Atack previously spoke out about being 'sexualised' when she played pupil Charlotte Hinchcliffe in The Inbetweeners (Channel 4)

She previously told the BBC: “What was mind-blowing to me was that the girls were saying that they felt more vulnerable in their school uniform.

“Kids in their school uniform have the right to feel safe in their uniform and at school. These kids should just be allowed to learn, do their homework, and go to their lessons - they don’t deserve that.”

15-year-old Aylin told the BBC: "I think the idea of a school uniform is meant to be beautiful, because it's meant to symbolise a community, but I think it's been tarnished… and warped by sexualisation."

While 14-year-old Willow admitted that she tries not to wear her uniform in public, explaining: "I go home and change, because I feel vulnerable."

Alex Davies-Jones, Minister for Victims, Violence Against Women and Girls, told the outlet: "Young women and girls should not have to grow up seeing their school uniforms sexualised, and I commend these pupils for speaking out about something they feel so strongly about.”

She publicly backed the campaign on Instagram (Instagram/@emilyatack)

She urged: "Pornography must never normalise or glorify the sexual abuse of children. That's why we are changing the law so possessing or sharing pornography which depicts an adult pretending to be a child under 16 will be an imprisonable offence.

"This is part of our wider crackdown on harmful pornography and tackling the attitudes that contribute to violence and abuse against women and girls."

You can sign the petition here.