Overview
- The government confirmed it will introduce legislation after a three-month ultimatum that expired on Tuesday, September 8 failed to secure universal operating-system safeguards from Apple and Google.
- Ministers want system-wide nudity detection that stops under-18s from taking, viewing or sharing explicit images on phones and tablets, plus mandatory age assurance for devices sold in the UK.
- Proposed age checks could use credit cards or government ID and officials are considering client-side scanning — software that inspects content before encryption — to cover end-to-end encrypted apps.
- Child-safety groups point to a sharp rise in harm: NSPCC Childline recorded 242 sextortion cases in April 2025–March 2026 and frequent mentions of Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram in abuse counselling notes.
- Tech firms say they have partial tools but not device-wide defaults, while privacy and security groups warn mandated scanning could weaken encryption, increase vulnerability to abuse, and raise surveillance risks; regulators plan detailed rules by year-end and further measures for 2027.