Cyberflashing: What It Is, the Law and What to Do If It Happens

Cyber flashing, usually written cyberflashing, is sending someone an unsolicited image or video of genitals, often by AirDrop, dating apps, social media or text. In England and Wales it has been a specific criminal offense since the Online Safety Act 2023, when it’s done to cause alarm, distress or humiliation, or for sexual gratification. If it happens to you, don’t reply, keep evidence of who sent it and when, report the sender to the platform, and report it to the police.

It isn’t your fault, and it isn’t something you have to shrug off. This guide is general information, not legal advice.

What cyberflashing is

Cyberflashing is the digital version of indecent exposure. It includes:

• A stranger sending an explicit photo to your phone by AirDrop or another nearby-sharing feature on a train or in a cafe.
• A match on a dating app sending an explicit image you didn’t ask for.
• Explicit images sent through direct messages on social media, in gaming chats or by text.
• Images sent to a work account or through a business profile’s messages.

The key features are that the image is sexual, usually showing genitals, and that you didn’t consent to receiving it. Many people describe feeling shocked, violated or unsafe afterward, especially when the sender is physically nearby. That reaction is normal.

Is cyberflashing illegal?

In England and Wales, yes. The Online Safety Act 2023 added a cyberflashing offense to the Sexual Offences Act 2003, and it came into force in early 2024. In general terms, a person commits the offense if they intentionally send or give a photo or film of any person’s genitals to someone else, and either:

• they intend to cause the recipient alarm, distress or humiliation, or
• they send it for their own sexual gratification and are reckless as to whether it will cause alarm, distress or humiliation.

It covers images sent by any means, including AirDrop, messaging apps and social media, and it doesn’t matter whether the genitals in the image are the sender’s own. The offense can lead to a prison sentence, and in some cases the person can be made subject to sex offender notification requirements.

Sending an indecent or grossly offensive message to cause distress or anxiety can also be an offense under the Malicious Communications Act 1988, which police sometimes consider alongside or instead of the cyberflashing offense.

Scotland already had a law covering this before the Online Safety Act: sending a sexual image to someone without their consent to obtain sexual gratification, or to humiliate, distress or alarm them, is an offense under Scottish sexual offenses legislation. Northern Ireland has also created its own offense. Our guide to the Online Safety Act explains the other offenses it introduced.

Outside the UK, the law varies a great deal. Some countries and US states have specific laws against sending unsolicited explicit images, some cover it under broader harassment or indecency laws, and some have no clear offense. If you’re elsewhere, local police or a victim support service can tell you what applies.

What to do if you’re cyberflashed

Take these steps in whatever order keeps you safest.

1. Get somewhere safe if the sender is nearby. AirDrop and nearby-sharing only work over short distances, so the sender may be close. Move toward other people or staff, such as a train guard or a cafe manager. If you feel threatened, call 999 in the UK or your local emergency number.
2. Don’t reply or engage. Replying can encourage the sender or escalate things. You don’t owe them a response.
3. Keep evidence of the sender and the context. Screenshot the sender’s name, profile, username or device name, the date and time, and the conversation around the image. Note where you were if it came by AirDrop. You don’t need to open the image again to do this.
4. Don’t forward the image. Keep it where it is. Don’t send it to friends, post it publicly or share it as a warning, because sharing explicit images can create problems of its own. If the police need it, they’ll tell you how to provide it.
5. Report the sender to the platform. Use the report option on the message or profile and choose the closest category, such as nudity, sexual content or harassment. Then block the account.
6. Report it to the police. In the UK, call 101 or report online through your local police force’s website, or call 999 in an emergency. If it happened on public transport in Great Britain, you can also report to the British Transport Police.

If the sender is under 18, or the image appears to show someone under 18, don’t screenshot or save the image. Report the account and the message to the platform and the police, and see our help resources for child safety services.

Settings that reduce unwanted images

You can’t stop someone trying to send an image, but you can make it much harder for it to reach you unseen. Features and names change, so look for these settings in your phone and apps rather than following a fixed menu path.

• Nudity blurring on your phone. Some phone operating systems offer a sensitive content warning that detects likely nude images and blurs them before you choose whether to view them. Look in your privacy or safety settings.
• Nudity filters in apps. Several dating and social apps blur images they detect as explicit in messages, and let you choose whether to open them. Check each app’s privacy or messaging settings.
• Limit AirDrop and nearby sharing. Set it to receive from contacts only, or turn receiving off, and turn it on only when you need it.
• Limit who can message you. Many apps let you restrict direct messages to people you follow or have matched with, and send message requests from strangers to a separate folder.
• Filter unknown senders. Phone settings can often separate texts from unknown numbers so they don’t appear with your usual messages.

For platform-specific tools, our guides on blocking someone on Instagram and Snapchat privacy settings walk through the options.

A worked example

This is an illustrative scenario, not a real client. Chloe, 24, is on a busy commuter train in Manchester when a pop-up appears on her phone asking whether to accept an AirDrop from a device called “J’s phone”. The preview shows an explicit image.

1. She declines it, moves to another carriage and stands near a group of other passengers.
2. She screenshots the notification, showing the device name and time, and writes down the train, carriage and approximate location.
3. She reports it to the British Transport Police, giving the details she noted. She doesn’t send them the image itself unless they ask.
4. She changes her AirDrop setting to contacts only and turns on her phone’s sensitive content warning.
5. She talks to a friend about how it made her feel, and keeps her crime reference number in case she’s contacted again.

She didn’t know who the sender was, but the device name, time and location gave the police something to work with.

Common mistakes

• Replying angrily or sending something back. It can escalate things and gives the sender attention.
• Sharing the image publicly to shame the sender. Posting explicit images, even as a warning, can cause you legal and practical problems. Report instead.
• Deleting everything straight away. Save the sender details, time and context first, then block.
• Thinking it’s too minor to report. In England, Wales and Scotland it’s a sexual offense, and reports help the police and platforms spot repeat senders.
• Blaming yourself for having AirDrop or messages open. The sender chose to do this. Settings are a way to reduce the risk, not a sign you did something wrong.

When cyberflashing is part of wider harassment

Sometimes the explicit image is one part of a larger pattern: repeated messages, new accounts after you block one, or threats. That can amount to harassment or stalking as well. Our guides on online harassment and the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 explain your options, and our cyberstalking guide covers securing your devices.

If someone is threatening to share explicit images of you, that’s a different and serious situation. Our sextortion help guide explains what to do. If harmful posts or images about you are appearing online, our content removal team can assess what can realistically be taken down.

Frequently asked questions

What is cyber flashing?

Cyber flashing, or cyberflashing, is sending someone an unsolicited sexual image, usually of genitals, through AirDrop, messaging apps, dating apps, social media or text. In England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland it is a criminal offense in most circumstances.

Is cyberflashing a crime in the UK?

Yes. The Online Safety Act 2023 made it an offense in England and Wales to send an image of genitals intending to cause alarm, distress or humiliation, or for sexual gratification while reckless about causing those harms. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own offenses.

Should I keep a cyberflashing image as evidence?

Keep a record of the sender, time and context, and leave the original message where it is rather than forwarding it. The police will tell you if and how they need the image. Never save or screenshot an image that may show someone under 18; report it instead.

Can I report cyberflashing if I don't know who sent it?

Yes. Give the police the username, profile, device name, time and place. Platforms can also act on the account. Anonymous senders can sometimes be identified through the platform, and your report may connect with others about the same person.

How do I stop receiving unsolicited explicit images?

Turn on any nudity-blurring or sensitive content setting on your phone and apps, limit AirDrop or nearby sharing to contacts, restrict who can message you, and block and report senders. These reduce the risk but can’t prevent every attempt.