Digital Minister Lisa Nandy announced 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, Lisa Nandy has announced.
Digital Minister Lisa Nandy said 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.
Making a statement in the Commons, Ms Nandy accused the tech giants of “failing to meet the scale of the crisis” around online safety for kids, and not bringing in protections fast enough.
She said: “This will be introduced to Parliament as soon as we can, recognising the urgency of this issue, whilst ensuring we work with colleagues across the House to get it right. We want to see movement on this quickly.
“Both companies have developed meaningful changes at the operating-level to make it harder for children to share nude imagery, we have seen progress in the blocking – not blurring – of nude imagery on underage devices, and this builds on significant milestones already in implementation – Apple’s recent rollout earlier this year of operating-system level age assurance tied to safety features, preventing a child from receiving or sharing nude imagery on iMessage or Facetime.
“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.”
Virtually all smartphones sold in the UK either run on Apple or Google operating systems.
The Cabinet minister told MPs the Government was committing to a new law to require major tech platforms to “build in device-level protections for children”, but suggested the plans could be dropped if companies “develop and implement technical solutions” fast enough.
Ms Nandy said: “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.