UK govt warns big tech over nude images sent by children

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Tech giants must stop children in Britain from being able to send and receive nude images on their devices, or be forced to do so by law, the government said Monday.Britain's interior ministry said it was giving companies, including Apple and Google three months to introduce safety features to block children from taking and accessing naked photos on phones and tablets.If they do not, the government will introduce legislation to force them to activate the technology, the Home Office said in a statement.This is not an impossible challenge, Prime Minister Keir Starmer told delegates at the London Tech Week conference.These are some of the most innovative companies in the world, and I believe they can solve it, but if they choose not to, then we will act, and we will change the law, because when it comes to the safety of our children, standing by is not an option, he added.The Labour government said technology companies had a moral responsibility to protect children from coercion, abuse and sextortion.It said any future legislation would include fines for companies that fail to comply and possibly even criminal liability for tech bosses.A law change would stop children from being able to access pornography, while also making it more difficult for child abusers to target children, it said.The government cited analysis by the Internet Watch Foundation charity that found 91 per cent of online child sexual abuse reports recorded in 2024 contained self-generated content from children themselves.The interior ministry noted that Apple recently rolled out age verification requirements for UK users, making it the first company to activate safety features by default for under-18s.But nudity detection is not applied to the camera, third-party messaging apps such as Snapchat or search functions, meaning children can still take, view, share and save such pictures, it said.Starmer is expected in the coming days to announce a ban on children under the age of 16 accessing some social media platforms, UK media has reported.A government-led consultation where British teenagers trialled social media bans and time limits on apps recently ended.Australia in December became the first nation to ban people under 16 from social media.