The UK’s attempt to get Apple and Google to fix a child-safety problem voluntarily has failed, so the government is turning to legislation. The two companies make the operating systems on most smartphones in the country. Officials say they could soon be legally required to stop children from seeing, taking or sharing nude images on their devices, which is believed to be the first law of its kind anywhere in the world.
The ultimatum dates back to June 8, 2026. In one of his last acts as Prime Minister, Keir Starmer gave Apple and Google three months to stop under-18s from accessing, creating or sharing nude images. The companies were told to use built-in device features or other technology against child sexual abuse material (CSAM), sexual exploitation and children’s access to pornography. The government also threatened fines and possible criminal charges for executives if they didn’t comply.
The deadline ran out on September 8, 2026. That day, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told the House of Commons that both firms had made “significant commitments”, but that their current proposals “do not meet the scale of this crisis.”
“For too long, technology companies have failed to protect children from 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 we need it to while harm is being done now.”
What the planned law would require
- Device-level protections that stop children from taking, sharing or viewing nude images, switched on by default.
- Age checks for adults who want to turn off the nudity-blocking features, according to the Guardian.
- Safeguards in apps aimed at children to block access to nude imagery and stop it from being shared.
- A possible wider scope. The government says it would consider similar rules for platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat.
“This will ensure that the whole ecosystem changes, tackling the means by which children are most often abused or groomed in the online world,” Nandy said. She promised legislation “as soon as we can” but gave no timetable. She also left room for a retreat: the government could rethink the measure if Apple and Google build and roll out effective solutions before the law takes effect.
On the technical side, blocking nudity on the device points to client-side scanning, where software checks content on the phone before it is encrypted or sent. Privacy campaigners have raised concerns about this approach.
What Apple and Google already offer
Apple points to Communication Safety, which it launched in 2021. The feature uses on-device machine learning to detect nudity in photos and videos and blur them before a child sees them. Apple says the photos are analysed on the device itself and that the company never gets access to them. It works in Messages, AirDrop, FaceTime, shared photo albums and some third-party apps, and is on by default for users under 18 who run the latest software. On September 14, 2026, Apple released iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27 and visionOS 27. These updates expand Communication Safety to block gore and violent content as well as nudity, including in live FaceTime calls.
An Apple spokesperson told the BBC that the company had “shared with UK officials future plans to strengthen Communication Safety and other tools even further to help keep kids safe.” Google said it was an “industry leader in combating non-consensual intimate imagery and advancing child safety across our products”. The company added that it had “made progress” and remained committed to keeping children safe online.
The UK isn’t the only country writing first-of-a-kind rules for tech firms. In early September 2026, Australia announced its own world-first social media law, which would let people opt out of content recommended by algorithms.
