The Government is preparing legislation that would require technology companies to make it impossible for anyone under the age of 18 to take, view or send nude images on their devices.
Ministers say the proposed rules are intended to tackle online grooming, sexual exploitation and abuse by forcing stronger protections to be built directly into phones, tablets and other devices used by children.
The move follows three months of talks with Apple and Google. The Government says both companies have made progress, but that the steps taken so far do not meet the scale of its ambition.
Device-level protections planned
Under the Government's proposed approach, nude images would have to be blocked across all relevant device features used by children, including cameras and third-party applications.
Nudity-detection filters would be switched on by default, meaning parents and carers would not be expected to activate the protections themselves.
The Government says adults would still be able to take, view or send nude images after completing a robust age-assurance process.
Ministers are also exploring legislation that could require apps used by children to prevent them from accessing or sharing nudity, extending the protections beyond the device itself.
Government says voluntary progress is not enough
The Government first gave major technology companies the opportunity to develop technical solutions voluntarily.
It says discussions with Apple and Google have produced progress, but not enough to meet its intended standard, prompting ministers to begin preparing legislation.
The proposed laws have not yet been introduced to Parliament and the Government says it will take time to ensure the legislation works as intended.
It has also left open the possibility of reassessing whether legislation is necessary if technology companies implement sufficiently strong protections themselves before the law is brought forward.
Child exploitation concerns behind move
The Government says the proposals are aimed at preventing children from being groomed or exploited through nude images and reducing the spread of self-generated child sexual abuse material.
It cited figures from the Internet Watch Foundation showing a sharp rise in reports linked to sexual extortion involving children.
The charity's Report Remove service recorded 19 sextortion reports in 2022, rising to 394 in 2025, according to figures cited by ministers.
The Government also said the Internet Watch Foundation found that 91% of online child sexual abuse reports in 2024 contained self-generated content involving children.
Nandy: planning must become implementation
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told Parliament that technology companies would be given the opportunity to lead on the changes but would not be allowed to delay action.
She said the Government intended to create an online environment that was safer for children while maintaining the benefits of digital services.
Safeguarding Minister Satvir Kaur said the Government would press ahead with legislation because technology firms needed to meet the scale of the challenge.
Part of wider online safety programme
The proposed nude-image restrictions form part of a broader package of online safety measures being pursued by ministers.
The Government has separately announced plans to prevent social media companies from providing services to children under 16 and to restrict high-risk features such as livestreaming and communications with strangers on services used by children.
For 16 and 17-year-olds, the Government has also said features designed to keep users scrolling, including autoplay videos and continuously personalised feeds, would be switched off by default.
If enacted, ministers say the nude-image provisions would make the UK the first country to impose protections of this kind across devices at national level.