UK Government Moves to Legislate Child-Nudity Blocking After Tech Firms Miss Deadline

In June, the UK government gave major technology firms three months to make the taking, viewing, or sharing of child-nudity images on their devices impossible. The deadline arrived on a Tuesday, and the government says Apple and Google did not meet the requirement. As a result, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport will introduce new legislation that would require child-protection solutions to be built into all existing and newly sold smartphones and tablets in the UK. Companies that fail to comply could face substantial fines and potential criminal liability for senior executives.

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Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned that if firms do not act, the government will change the law. She added that the sector can innovate quickly when required, but she is not prepared to give companies the benefit of the doubt while harm continues. Nandy also indicated that similar legal requirements could be extended to child-focused apps such as Instagram and Snapchat. Representatives from Meta and Snap did not respond to requests for comment.

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• “We know that this is a sector that can—when required—innovate at an extraordinary pace when the chips are down,” — Lisa Nandy, the secretary of state for digital, culture, media, and sport

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• “For too long, technology companies have failed to protect children from the worst harms,” — Lisa Nandy, the secretary of state for digital, culture, media, and sport

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The proposed law would make it unlawful for any smartphone or tablet sold in the UK to lack built-in mechanisms that block child-nudity content. Failure to implement these safeguards could trigger financial penalties and, for senior leaders, possible criminal prosecution. The government signaled that the legislation aims to be the first of its kind worldwide.

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Legislation is being drafted and will be presented to Parliament in the coming weeks. The government said it will reassess the need for the law if platforms demonstrate effective solutions while the bill is under development.

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