Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has given Apple and Google until September to install software that blocks explicit images on children's mobile phones, warning that legislation would follow if they fail to comply. The intervention comes amid a surge in child sexual abuse referrals, with the National Crime Agency receiving 1,700 per week.
Speaking at London Tech Week, Starmer said tech companies must activate nudity-detection algorithms or other technical solutions to prevent children taking, sharing or viewing nude images. If the firms do not act within three months, the government will introduce legislation requiring the protections on all phones and tablets sold in the UK. Companies that flout the rules could face fines and senior managers could be made criminally liable.
The announcement follows the resignation of Jess Phillips as safeguarding minister, who accused Starmer of failing to act. Several Labour MPs also urged the prime minister to legislate immediately rather than ask for voluntary compliance. Melanie Ward, MP for Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy, said: “It’s time to stop asking social media companies to make their products safe, and instead time to start requiring them to do so through regulation.”
The Home Office said the measures would prevent sexual predators from exploiting children through their devices and stop young people accessing pornography. Adults would still be able to view or share nude content after age verification. The proposal sits alongside the Online Safety Act, which requires companies to remove illegal or harmful material.
Neither Apple nor Google currently offers a system that works across the entire operating system. Apple is introducing age checks for iPhone and iPad users in the UK, while Google has measures to detect and blur nude images. Whitehall sources indicated strong backing from the Home Office but raised concerns that the Treasury could be susceptible to lobbying from tech companies promising investment.
Civil liberties groups have expressed worries about anonymity and privacy. Phillips welcomed the legislation but said the government must be “incredibly clear about its red lines” and prepare robust legislation in case the three-month deadline is not met.
