Children will be banned from taking and sharing nude images under new Government laws for Big Tech
Apple and Google had been given a three-month ultimatum in June to either detect and block nude images for children or face legislation forcing them to act.
Major tech platforms will be forced by law to make it impossible for children to take, share or view nude images, the Government has said.
Listen to this article
Apple and Google had been given a three-month ultimatum in June to either detect and block nude images for children or face legislation forcing them to act.
Virtually all smartphones sold in the UK either run on Apple or Google operating systems.
Digital Secretary Lisa Nandy said while the tech giants had made some “meaningful changes” in the meantime, “they do not meet the scale of this crisis”, adding she is “almost certain” legislation will be needed.
Read More: Teenagers who defy social media ban ‘less likely to air concerns to adults’
Read More: Whoever takes Number 10, children’s online safety must come first
Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, she said: “Children are facing unacceptable levels of sexual harm online – they are being groomed, coerced, and manipulated into creating and sharing intimate images across online services.”
The Cabinet minister told the Commons the Government is “today committing to introducing primary legislation to require major tech platforms to build in device-level protections for children”.
She said this would be brought in “as soon as we can”, but also appeared to indicate the plan could be dropped if tech firms “develop and implement technical solutions” while policy development work takes place.
Pressed further on the speed at which legislation might be introduced to Parliament, she told MPs: “Well, frankly, if we were able to reach a situation very quickly, which we should be able to do with the right will, where children were not able to take or share nude images, then the problem would be solved.
“But I have to say, based on what I’ve seen in terms of progress over the last three months, I think it is almost certain that we will be legislating in this area.”
According to data from the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), the vast majority (91%) of online child sexual abuse reports recorded in 2024 contained content generated by children themselves.
The IWF said in some cases, children are groomed, deceived or coerced into producing and sharing a sexual image or video of themselves.
Ms Nandy said the protections would make Britain “a world leader in online safety”.