Editing Protection of Children Act 1978 (section)

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox UK legislation
|short_title          = Protection of Children Act 1978
|type                 = Act
|parliament           = Parliament of the United Kingdom
|long_title           = An Act to prevent the exploitation of children by making indecent photographs of them; and to penalise the distribution, showing and advertisement of such indecent photographs.
|year                 = 1978
|introduced_by        =[[Cyril Townsend]] 
|citation             = [[List of acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1978|1978]] c. 37
|territorial_extent   = {{ubli|England and Wales}}
|royal_assent         = 20 July 1978
|amendments           = 
|related_legislation  = 
|status               = amended
|original_text        = 
|legislation_history  = 
}}

The '''Protection of Children Act 1978''' (c. 37) is an [[Act of Parliament (UK)|act]] of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]] that criminalized indecent photographs of children.  The act applies in [[England]] and [[Wales]]. Similar provision for [[Scotland]] is contained in the [[Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982]] and for [[Northern Ireland]] in the Protection of Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1978.