UK to force Apple and Google to block explicit images on children’s smartphones
UK to force Apple and Google to block explicit images on children’s smartphones. Lisa Nandy says government will introduce legislation after talks end without breakthroughApple and Google will be forced to block explicit images on children’s smartphones by law in the UK after talks failed to produce a breakthrough, the government has said. The legislation commitment puts ministers on a collision course with two of the biggest players in Silicon Valley, months after the government announced a social media ban for under-16s. Continue reading. . .
What happened
Photograph: EMS-FORSTER-PRODUCTIONS/Getty ImagesUK to force Apple and Google to block explicit images on children’s smartphonesLisa Nandy says government will introduce legislation after talks end without breakthroughApple and Google will be forced to block explicit images on children’s smartphones by law in the UK after talks failed to produce a breakthrough, the government has said. “We share the UK’s commitment to combating exploitation and abuse online, and have shared with UK officials future plans to strengthen communication safety and other tools even further to help keep kids safe. ”Explore more on these topicsInternet safetySmartphonesGoogleAppleChildrenLisa NandynewsShareReuse this contentMore on this storyMore on this storyUK 16- and 17-year-olds to be encouraged to follow midnight social media curfewChild sexual abuse victims in England and Wales to get help to remove online imagesNearly in one in five UK girls receive unwanted images online, poll finds‘A tsunami of harm’: views on tackling online safety for under-16s in the UKOnline safety campaigners reveal Starmer frustrations after Phillips exitUK schools should remove pupils’ online photos as AI blackmail threat grows, say expertsMeta found in breach of EU law for failing to keep children off platformsCriminal gangs profiting as child sexual abuse websites double, experts sayMedia coverage of violence against women reaches ‘dismal’ low, report findsChildren in UK report online sextortion attempts in record numbers Most viewedMost viewed
Apple and Google, which develop the operating systems of most smartphones used in the UK, were given three months in June to block access to nude images on smartphones and other devices used by under-18s. She told MPs that Apple and Google had already made "meaningful changes" to block nudity on smartphones used by children at the core of their systems, but more action was needed. Jess Phillips, the Labour MP and former safeguarding minister, said the legislation would stop the UK from producing self-generated child sexual abuse material, where children are duped or groomed into sharing explicit images of themselves.
One of Keir Starmer’s final acts as prime minister was to give Apple and Google three months to stop under-18s from generating, sending or seeing nude images on their devices, by activating built-in features on the hardware or other technological solutions. An Apple spokesperson said the company was preparing to strengthen its “communication safety” feature, which warns children when they are receiving or sending nude images and videos.
The wider picture
“Apple and Google needed to urgently introduce these protections to ensure online sexual abuse is disrupted and prevented on children’s devices,” says Chris Sherwood, chief executive of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Image source, Getty ImagesByPhilippa Wain and Chris Vallance, Technology reportersPublished8 September 2026The government has said it will introduce a new law to force tech firms to prevent children from taking or sharing nude images on mobile devices.
UK police chiefs have previously said restricting the ability of children's devices to take or share nude images would be a key step in preventing sextortion – crimes where a child is groomed into sharing explicit images and blackmailed. Talks with Google and Apple, whose operating systems dominate the smartphone market, had not reached agreement as a three-month deadline passed on Tuesday. Hannah Swirsky, head of policy at the Internet Watch Foundation, which monitors the online spread of child sexual abuse material [CSAM], said: “It is deeply disappointing that tech firms have failed to act in full, but we are pleased that the government is now taking decisive legislative action to keep children safe. ”Last year the IWF said a quarter of the images or videos of CSAM it recorded were self-generated, representing more than 140,000 pieces of content over a 12-month period.
Between them, Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android smartphone operating systems dominate the mobile phone market. Google said it was “pleased to have made progress” in talks with the government and was “fully committed” to working with legislators, experts, app developers and device manufacturers to “keep children safe, while also protecting privacy and access to information”. “But if they choose not to, then we will act and change the law. ”That deadline arrived on Tuesday, and the government says that the likes of Apple and Google have failed.
What has been reported
While engineers from Apple and Google had been working with the government since June to make changes, “they do not meet the scale of this crisis,” Lisa Nandy, the secretary of state for digital, culture, media, and sport, told lawmakers on Tuesday as she introduced the legislation. A Google spokesperson says in a statement that their team is “pleased to have made progress and are fully committed to continuing to work with experts, legislators, app developers and device manufacturers to keep children safe, while also protecting privacy and access to information. ”Globally, governments taking more extreme measures to protect children from online harms have been met with backlash over privacy and other digital rights.
Some Included Images of Real KidsImages of real children—including a member of a European royal family—were used to create some of the 350 ads containing child sexual abuse. Alongside making tech firms block nudity on devices used by children at device-level, the government said its draft legislation would also make providers of apps used by children introduce similar blocks on nude imagery. An Apple spokesperson said it launched its Communication Safety feature in 2021 to help stop children from seeing or sharing imagery containing nudity – and had since "continued to expand its capabilities".
They added Google was pleased to have "made progress" and remained committed to working on efforts to keep children safe online. Calls for swift actionThe government proposals have been welcomed by organisations and charities calling for tougher measures and technical solutions to stop children from not just seeing, but also capturing and sharing nudity on smartphones. Government proposals to prevent nude images being shared taken and shared by children were originally proposed as part of the government's violence against women and girls strategy.
What happens next
However, implementing solutions to block it for children may require checking whether the user of a phone, or app, is an adult or a child. Online rights campaigners at the Open Rights Group have previously warned that implementing the change would mean "every adult would be forced through a digital ID checkpoint, and private images could be scanned by default". Related topicsGoogleAppleInternet safetyMore on this storyHow can you keep your child safe online? Apple brings in age checks for UK iPhone usersPublished25 MarchUK police bosses say unsafe social media platforms should be blocked for under-16sPublished22 May
Skip to main contentSkip to navigation Lisa Nandy says the government will start work on an act of parliament to prevent under-18s taking, sharing or viewing nude images on their devices. Lisa Nandy, the secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, said the government would start work on an act of parliament to stop under-18s taking, sharing or viewing nude images on their devices. “For too long, technology companies have failed to protect children from some of the worst harms,” she said.
The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across theguardian.com, wired.com, bbc.co.uk. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.