LONDON – Britain’s Prime Minister is pressuring major technology companies to implement protective measures on children’s devices that would stop minors from sharing explicit images, threatening legislative action if they refuse to comply.
The proposed initiative would require companies such as Apple and Google to develop or enable technological features on mobile devices and tablets that can identify and prevent nude images from being transmitted by underage users, according to government officials. Adult users would maintain access to such content through age confirmation systems.
Speaking at London Tech Week on Monday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer addressed technology companies directly: “Today I’m calling on tech companies operating in this country to introduce device controls that prevent children from sending and receiving sexually explicit images. This is not an impossible challenge.”
Government officials announced that technology firms have a three-month window to implement these protective measures voluntarily before facing mandatory legislation.
“This will include fines for companies. Nothing is off the table, and as a last resort the government is exploring whether this could extend criminal liability for tech bosses who fail to comply,” according to the official government announcement.
