The UK government will introduce legislation to force big tech companies to block children from taking or sharing nude images, culture secretary Lisa Nandy announced. Speaking to MPs, Nandy stated companies would be forced "to build in device-level protections for children" as part of preventing children from taking, sharing or viewing nude images on phones and tablets. The government would also require apps to block children from accessing nude pictures.

Nandy claimed this would make Britain the first country in the world to go this far and a world leader in online safety. The move is the latest effort in the UK government's ongoing battle to introduce stronger protection for children online. In June, the government gave tech companies a three-month ultimatum to voluntarily introduce stronger controls.

Nandy said Apple and Google had "developed meaningful changes" but that "they do not meet the scale of this crisis". Just over half of UK smartphone users have an i Phone, according to the International Data Corporation. Samsung uses Google's Android operating system.

Apple has an existing feature called Communication Safety introduced in 2021 which identifies and blurs images that contain nudity. However, the company stopped short of announcing further protections or direct device-level changes to the cameras on the i Phone. Google said it remained "fully committed to continuing to work with experts, legislators, app developers and device manufacturers to keep children safe".

Matthew Sinclair of CCIA UK warned there are real technical challenges in moving too fast without undermining privacy and basic phone functionality. The government should continue to work constructively with businesses to improve protections.