UK Government to Legislate Nudity Blocks on Children's Smartphones After Tech Talks Fail

The UK government has announced it will introduce a new law to force technology companies to prevent children from taking, sharing, or viewing nude images on their mobile devices. This decision follows a three month deadline set in June by former prime minister Keir Starmer, which expired on Tuesday without a satisfactory agreement being reached with Apple and Google. Lisa Nandy, the secretary of state for digital, culture, media, and sport, told lawmakers that while tech firms have made some commitments, they do not meet the scale of the crisis. The proposed legislation would require protections to be built into devices and switched on by default, and it may extend to apps used by children. Companies that fail to comply could face fines and their executives could face potential criminal liability.

Government officials and child safety organizations, including the NSPCC and the Internet Watch Foundation, argue that these measures are necessary to disrupt grooming and prevent the creation of self generated child sexual abuse material. In contrast, privacy campaigners and digital rights groups have raised concerns about the infrastructure required for such blocks. Some warn that the use of client side scanning, where content is analyzed on the device before being sent, could create a slippery slope toward wider surveillance. To avoid affecting adults, the government stated that users would need to verify their age to disable the nudity blocking features.

Apple and Google both stated they remain committed to child safety. Apple highlighted its existing Communication Safety feature launched in 2021, while Google noted its efforts to combat non consensual intimate imagery. The government has indicated it may reassess the need for legislation if firms implement the required solutions before the law is finalized.