Each year, the U.K. (& the world) Naked Bike Ride allows adults to cycle fully nude through public streets used daily by families, children, schools, and tourists. While the event is framed as a protest, it currently operates without the safeguarding standards expected of any public gathering involving nudity.

On any ordinary day, an adult exposing themselves in public could face legal consequences. Yet during this event, full public nudity is permitted without clear boundaries, oversight, or participant verification. This inconsistency creates confusion around the law and exposes children and families to situations they have not chosen to encounter.

KEY SAFEGUARDING CONCERNS

• No participant registration, ID checks, or DBS checks
• No way to distinguish genuine participants from opportunists
• No controlled perimeter, anyone can join or linger
• Inconsistent marshalling along the route
• Children and families are involuntarily exposed to adult nudity
• A legal grey area around “indecent exposure” that leaves the public unprotected
• Families have reported distressing encounters, including coming face‑to‑face with visibly aroused men standing beside their bikes. In some cases, parents could not tell whether these individuals were participants or simply taking advantage of the event. That uncertainty alone raises serious safeguarding questions.
• An organiser of a NAKED BIKE RIDE in USA is arrested (April 2026) for child sexual abuse imagery. Who checks the organisers? Who holds them accountable? Safeguarding starts at the top. Children shouldn’t pay the price for silence.

The event is not limited to London, it takes place in cities around the world. With no demographic criteria, no monitoring, and no accountability, anyone can join. And they do.

Where do naked participants go for coffee, water, toilet breaks, or snacks? How is this managed safely in public spaces? Where is the risk assessment that prioritises children’s safeguarding?

WHY THIS MATTERS

Children need us to do better in the 21st century. They need clarity about what is acceptable and what is not. They need safeguarding frameworks that help them understand boundaries, recognise unsafe situations, and protect themselves from grooming and abuse.

Desensitising children to adult nudity in public spaces, even once or twice a year, is not safeguarding. The more society normalises this activity, the more blurred the boundaries become. And blurred boundaries are exactly where predators operate.

In the UK, indecent exposure is only illegal if the person intended to cause offence. That intent is judged by the offender, not the victim. Those who feel distressed or uncomfortable by public nudity have no equivalent protection. Where is their “tick box”?

The Metropolitan Police help to organise the London Naked Bike Ride. Make of that what you will, but it does not remove the safeguarding risks. I wrote to the London Metropolitan Police, the City of London Police and the Mayor of London to raise these concerns formally. I am still waiting for a sufficient reply from all three.

As the event grows, so does the potential for harm. Why take that risk where children are concerned?

CALL FOR ACTION

This petition calls on the Government to:

• Review the legal and safeguarding implications of allowing full public nudity in an unregulated, open‑access event
• Ensure that children and families are protected from involuntary exposure to adult nudity in public settings
• Consider prohibiting public nudity in open, mixed‑age environments where safeguarding cannot be guaranteed

This is not a petition against protest or free expression. It is a call for consistent law, child protection, and basic safeguarding standards that apply equally to all public events.

We urge the Government to act responsibly and ensure that public spaces remain safe and appropriate for everyone. 

MY PERSONAL POSITION

I am not opposed to nudity. I understand the importance of body empowerment. But there are appropriate places for nudity, and public streets, children’s play parks, and mixed‑age environments are not among them. 

I started this petition because I’ve seen the pictures, the videos, the conversations, all pointing to serious safeguarding risks for children. If you think this event is “a bit of fun,” then our definitions of fun differ greatly, and so, I suspect, do our views on safeguarding children.

I am grateful to the naturists who have contacted me. Many have said they do not support the Naked Bike Ride either, specifically because of the safeguarding concerns I’ve raised. I’ve also spoken to many cyclists; none have said they would take part. They believe, as I do, that there are better ways to raise awareness.

If you have morals around safeguarding children, please sign the petition and share it with your friends.

Children need us to do better. This event is not it.

ABOUT THE CAMPAIGNER
Emma Jane Taylor is the author of Don’t Hold Back (2018), creator of the #NotMyShame campaign, and Founder of Project 90‑10, an educational programme designed for safeguarding leads and professionals working with children.

In 2025, she was recognised in Parliament by Freddie van Mierlo MP for her work on the “hidden in plain sight” message, the 90‑10 statistic, which highlights a critical truth - 90% of children who are abused are abused by someone they know. Stranger danger accounts for 10% of cases.

Emma Jane’s work focuses on strengthening safeguarding awareness, challenging complacency, and protecting children from preventable harm.

The Naked Bike Ride by Emma Jane Taylor

#stopthenakedbikeridefrombeinginpublicspaces