UK PM Keir Starmer has given Apple and Google a three-month ultimatum to block explicit images on children's devices or face legislation with fines and criminal liability. The move follows a surge in self-generated child abuse content, with 1,700 referrals weekly. While child safety groups like the NSPCC support the plan, civil liberties organizations warn it threatens privacy and could lead to mass surveillance and mandatory ID checks to use the internet.
Government ultimatum to tech firms
- ▪If the tech firms do not comply within three months, the UK government will introduce legislation to force them to act
- ▪UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has given Apple and Google a three-month ultimatum, until September 2026, to block explicit images on children's devices
- ▪The proposed legislation could include fines and make senior tech managers criminally liable for non-compliance
- ▪The plan aims to make the UK the first country where it is impossible for children to take, share, or view nude images
Existing nude image blocking features
- ▪Google has measures to detect and blur nude images in its Messages app for supervised accounts and issues warnings when a child tries to open or send them
- ▪Apple's "Communication Safety" feature warns children about nudity in its own apps like iMessage and the company is introducing age checks for UK users
- ▪Google stated it is "deeply committed to protecting children online" and is working with UK partners on "effective, privacy-preserving solutions."
- ▪Neither Apple nor Google currently offers a nudity-blocking system that works across the entire operating system of their devices
Child online safety statistics
- ▪Online grooming cases in the UK have risen to 7,000 per year
- ▪The UK’s National Crime Agency receives 1,700 child sexual abuse referrals every week
- ▪In 2025, nine out of ten child abuse images were generated by children themselves, a figure reported as 91% in 2024
Privacy concerns over age verification
- ▪Civil liberties groups like Big Brother Watch and Open Rights Group have expressed concerns that the plans threaten user anonymity and privacy
- ▪Silkie Carlo of Big Brother Watch argued the government is threatening "ID checks for the internet," which could "invoke the death of anonymity."
Child protection advocacy responses
- ▪Former safeguarding minister Jess Phillips resigned in May 2026, accusing Prime Minister Starmer of wavering on the issue and being "worried about tech bosses."
- ▪The NSPCC's chief executive, Chris Sherwood, welcomed the announcement as a "major step forward" in fighting online child sexual abuse
Civil liberties criticism
- ▪Some Labour MPs urged the government to legislate immediately, while the Lib Dems criticized the delay and the Tories called it "an idea without a proper plan."
- ▪The Open Rights Group stated the proposal would "turn every phone into a surveillance device."
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