BRITAIN will require technology companies including Apple and Google to introduce stronger safeguards preventing children from taking, viewing or sharing nude images on smartphones and tablets, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told the House of Commons.
Nandy said the Government would introduce legislation “as soon as we can”, although she declined to provide a precise timetable.
The move follows a three-month deadline issued to Apple and Alphabet-owned Google in June to introduce the measures voluntarily. While both companies have tools that detect sensitive content for young users, neither currently provides comprehensive protection against children taking or sending nude selfies.
Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that Nandy praised Apple’s rollout of age-checking measures earlier in 2026, describing commitments by both Apple and Google as “a step in the right direction”. However, she said the measures did not go far enough.
“For too long, technology companies have failed to protect children from some of the worst harms,” Nandy said. “And to be frank, I am not prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt that progress will continue at the pace that we need it to, while harm is being done now.”
A Google spokesman said the company was “pleased to have made progress”, adding that it was “fully committed” to working with lawmakers, app developers and safety experts on measures to protect children.
An Apple spokesman said the company introduced a feature in 2021 that prevents children from viewing or sharing photos or videos containing nudity, and has since expanded support for some third-party apps.
Britain already has strict online child safety rules, although existing protections largely apply to online services and platforms rather than the devices themselves.
The proposed legislation would represent a significant expansion by requiring stronger, proactive nudity detection at device level, with the aim of preventing children from creating and sharing intimate images before they are circulated online.
Child safety organisations have welcomed the prospect of new laws, although privacy advocates and technology experts have raised concerns over surveillance, privacy and the technical feasibility of detecting nude images on devices.
Existing measures from Apple and Google generally identify nudity after an image has already been captured.
Nandy said the Government still needed to resolve several issues, including which devices would fall under the proposed rules.
She added that the Government would reassess the legislation if Apple and Google introduced the restrictions before a Bill was passed.
“Children cannot face more delays, so the government must act swiftly and ensure these measures are enshrined in law at the earliest opportunity,” said Chris Sherwood, chief executive of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
In the Commons, Conservative Party Shadow Secretary of State Rebecca Paul described the announcement as “a huge practical step, which has the potential to prevent immeasurable harm”, while warning that details of the proposed legislation remained unclear.
Privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch said online that protecting children was a “noble goal”, but criticised what it described as digital ID checks and surveillance software.
The restrictions would not apply to adults who have passed age verification.
Nandy also said Britain remained on track to introduce its planned social media ban for under-16s by spring 2027. The ban was announced earlier in the summer as part of wider efforts to strengthen online protections for children. - September 9, 2026
