The UK government has announced it will introduce a new law forcing tech firms such as Apple and Google to prevent children from taking or sharing nude images on smartphones and other devices. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told MPs that despite "significant commitments" from both companies since a June deadline, their current proposals "do not meet the scale of this crisis", prompting ministers to pursue legislation. The move matters because campaigners and police say such images are frequently the starting point for grooming, sexual extortion and other forms of online child abuse.

Apple and Google were given three months in June to block access to nude imagery on devices used by under-18s, and the government says both firms have already made "meaningful changes" at a system level, though it wants further action from the wider app ecosystem too. The NSPCC and the Molly Rose Foundation welcomed the plans but urged swift action, noting the proposals originated from the government's violence against women and girls strategy and have faced delays. The new law would not restrict adults' access to nude imagery, though enforcing an under-18 block may require age-verification checks, a prospect the Open Rights Group has warned could affect all adult users.