The UK government will require technology companies such as Apple Inc and Google to stop children from taking, sharing or viewing nude images on their phones and tablets, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told the House of Commons on Tuesday.
Nandy said the government would introduce legislation “as soon as we can,” but declined to give a precise timetable.
The government had given Apple and Alphabet Inc-owned Google a three-month deadline in June to introduce such measures voluntarily. Although both firms scan sensitive content for young users, neither comprehensively blocks the taking or sending of nude selfies.
Nandy praised Apple’s rollout of age checks earlier this year on its operating system. She called commitments by the iPhone-maker and Google “a step in the right direction,” but said they were ultimately insufficient.
“For too long, technology companies have failed to protect children from some of the worst harms,” Nandy said. “And to be frank, I am not prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt that progress will continue at the pace that we need it to, while harm is being done now.”
A spokesperson for Google said the company was “pleased to have made progress” and that it was “fully committed” to working with lawmakers, app developers, and safety experts on ways to keep children safe.
An Apple spokesperson said the company in 2021 added a feature that prevents children from viewing or sharing photos or videos that contain nudity, and it now includes support for some third-party apps.
“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,” the representative said.
The UK has strict online child safety protections, although the current rules mostly apply to services and platforms rather than devices. Pushing Apple and Google to introduce stronger, proactive nudity detection at the device level is a significant expansion, intended to stop children from creating and sharing intimate images of themselves online.
While child safety organizations have welcomed the prospective new laws, there are questions around privacy and technical feasibility. Currently, Apple and Google’s measures involve detecting nudity in an image that has already been taken.
The culture secretary said some questions needed to be ironed out, such as what devices the new rules would apply to.
She said the government would reassess legislation if the companies introduce the restrictions before a bill is passed.
“Children cannot face more delays, so Government must act swiftly and ensure these measures are enshrined in law at the earliest opportunity,” said Chris Sherwood, chief executive officer of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, in emailed comments.
In the Commons chamber, the Conservative Party’s Shadow Secretary of State Rebecca Paul also praised the announcement as a “a huge practical step, which has the potential to prevent immeasurable harm,” but added that details on the legislation remained vague.
Privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch said online that protecting children is a “noble goal,” but criticized what it described as digital ID checks and surveillance software.
The restrictions will not apply to adults who have passed age verification.
The UK is on track to bring its social media ban for under-16s, announced earlier in the summer, into force by spring 2027, Nandy said.
