Apple and Google could face new legal requirements in the UK to strengthen protections against children taking, viewing or sharing nude images on smartphones and tablets.
The proposed measures follow a request for both technology companies to introduce stronger safeguards voluntarily. Existing child-safety tools from Apple and Google already address some forms of explicit content, but the UK government has indicated that further action may be necessary.
The plans are part of a wider effort to protect children from online harms, including grooming, exploitation and the misuse of intimate images.
Proposal
The UK government is preparing legislation that could require smartphone operating systems and individual apps to introduce stronger protections for children.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy reportedly announced the government’s intention to legislate in the House of Commons on Tuesday. However, no specific timetable for introducing the legislation has been confirmed.
The government had reportedly given Apple and Google three months in June to consider introducing the protections voluntarily. If the companies do not provide safeguards considered sufficient, legislation could establish mandatory requirements.
The exact scope of the proposed rules has not yet been finalized. Ministers are still expected to determine which devices and services would be covered.
Apple
Apple already has a child-safety feature called Communication Safety. Introduced in 2021, the system can warn children about potentially sensitive images and can help prevent them from viewing or sharing content containing nudity.
The company has subsequently expanded Communication Safety to work with third-party applications and has continued developing its child-safety measures.
Apple has reportedly told UK officials that it intends to strengthen Communication Safety and other protections. However, the proposed UK rules could go further by requiring more comprehensive safeguards against children creating or distributing intimate images.
The distinction matters because preventing a child from viewing explicit content is different from preventing the creation or transmission of such material.
Google also provides parental controls and child-safety features through its Android ecosystem and related services.
The company has reportedly said it has made progress on the issue and intends to continue working with lawmakers, app developers and safety specialists.
If the proposed legislation moves forward, Google could need to ensure that protections operate effectively across Android devices and potentially at the application level.
This could create technical challenges because smartphones combine operating-system functions with thousands of independently developed applications.
Protection
The proposed measures are intended to address more than exposure to inappropriate material.
Children can be pressured or manipulated into creating intimate images and then sharing them with other people. Once an image has been created, it can potentially be used for grooming, coercion, blackmail or exploitation.
Stronger safeguards could therefore focus on stopping the creation and transmission of such images before they can be distributed.
However, implementing these protections raises questions about how devices identify a user’s age and how much information companies would need to process to enforce the rules.
Privacy
Privacy groups have raised concerns about some of the possible technologies that could be used to enforce age-based restrictions.
Big Brother Watch has reportedly expressed concerns about digital identity checks and surveillance technology. These concerns reflect a broader debate over how technology companies can protect children without creating systems that unnecessarily monitor adults.
The government is expected to consider these issues while developing the legislation.
A central question will be how companies can determine whether a user is a child without requiring excessive collection of personal information.
Adults
The proposed restrictions are not expected to apply in the same way to adults who successfully complete age verification.
That means the legislation would need to establish a system capable of distinguishing between children and adults while maintaining appropriate privacy protections.
The government is also reportedly keeping the possibility of changing course open if Apple and Google introduce measures that meet its objectives before Parliament passes legislation.
This leaves room for the final requirements to change as discussions between ministers and technology companies continue.
Timeline
There is currently no confirmed date for when the proposed legislation would become law.
The government first gave Apple and Google a voluntary period to introduce stronger protections. Ministers are now preparing legislation, but important details remain under discussion, including the devices that would be covered and how the age-verification process would operate.
The proposals have reportedly received support from child-safety organizations including the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, as well as some Conservative lawmakers.
For Apple and Google, the issue is likely to involve balancing child-safety requirements with privacy, technical feasibility and the way age verification works across devices and applications. For parents, the proposed changes could eventually provide additional safeguards, but the final requirements will depend on the legislation ultimately presented to Parliament.
