Yes. Downloading film or TV content without proper permission is classed as a civil offence. This means you are at risk of being sued by the film or TV rights owner, despite the fact that your child might not even know that what he is doing could incur you such a hefty punishment.

It’s a good idea to check what your child or teen is doing as you would for other dubious websites, and to steer them towards legal download sites instead. High street stores like HMV and Tesco, and online stores such as LOVEFiLM and iTunes offer the option of downloading films, TV shows and music from their websites. If you direct your child towards any of the websites listed here, they can get the same content for a fair price. This gives you a quality guarantee and you can have peace of mind over their digital downloading, knowing that the site is legal.

A full list of legal download sites are available here

Films are released in cinemas several weeks before they become available on DVD. If the film your child is watching on his computer is still being shown in cinemas, you can be confident it has come from an unauthorised website.

There are plenty of trusted downloads sites available on the Internet. If your child has mentioned the names of any websites he uses to download films, TV shows or music click here to check that they match up with our list of authorised sites.

The Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) is working closely with the police, Trading Standards and other enforcement agencies to fend off the rise of unauthorised digital downloading. You can report any suspicious websites to Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111.

No. What your child is doing is really worrying, and since it’s an act of copyright theft it could potentially land him – or you – in trouble. Downloading from unauthorised websites is an infringement of copyright in itself, but the fact that your child is making a profit on the content he has downloaded makes it a criminal offence.

Aside from the fact that your child may be committing a civil offence by taking content from illegitimate websites, he’s also effectively putting film and TV industry workers out of pocket.

When you download a film for free, the people who put the hard work into making that film do not receive any payment for their creative work. It might be helpful to explain this to your child, who may not realise his online actions can actually impact on real people’s livelihoods.

Many workers in music, TV and film are paid through royalties which are earned on each individual DVD sale. It’s also important to protect investment in future production - making feature films is an expensive business, so only by recouping production costs can this investment be safeguarded. Without it, far fewer films would be made in the future, and a smaller range.

There are a few ways to find this information. The first is to contact the Federation against Copyright Theft (FACT), which protects the interests of the film and broadcasting industry against copyright and trademark infringements.

FACT works in close partnership with police, Trading Standards and other enforcement agencies to combat the growth of pirate DVDs, film and other forms of broadcast material including the increasing threat from online/internet based piracy.

The best way to report any criminal activity is to call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. FACT has a partnership with Crimestoppers enabling them to get the information quickly and easily.

Alternatively, you can use the reporting form on FACT’s website: www.fact-uk.org.uk or you can email info@copyrightaware.co.uk