British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has given technology companies three months to introduce software that stops children from accessing adult content on their devices. He called on firms operating in the country to bring in device controls that prevent children from sending and receiving sexually explicit images. Starmer said the measure was aimed squarely at protecting young people online. He framed the demand as an ultimatum, backed by the threat of legislation if companies fail to comply.
"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," Starmer said. He argued that the task was well within reach for the world's leading firms. "This is not an impossible challenge. These are some of the most innovative companies in the world, and I believe they can solve it." He added that the government was prepared to step in if they did not.
The Prime Minister was blunt about the consequences for companies that ignore the request. "But if they choose not to, then we will act, and we will change the law," he said. He stressed that doing nothing was not an option where children were concerned. "When it comes to the safety of our children, standing by is not an option," he told the firms directly.
Officials set out what the rules would mean in practice for the industry. The ultimatum is designed to make it impossible for children to take, share or view nude images on their smartphones. Companies that fail to introduce the controls within the three-month window could face fines or be held criminally liable. The plan sets a fixed deadline rather than leaving the request open-ended.
Behind the policy is a stark figure cited by the government to justify the move. It said that 90 percent of child sexual abuse material pictures are taken by the children themselves. That statistic has been used to focus attention on the devices and on the moment images are created or shared. The stated aim is to stop such material at the source, on the phone itself, before it can spread.
The opposition argued that the plan does not go far enough to protect young people. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the Prime Minister needed to get children off social media altogether rather than pursue what she called piecemeal action. "Social media is for adults, not for children. These platforms are designed to be addictive," she said. Badenoch repeated her call for a ban on social media for under-16s and said the issue had been ignored until recently.
Technology companies have started to respond to the demand placed on them. Apple said it was already taking action with age checks for iPhone users, describing itself as the first company to activate safety features by default, including nudity detection. However, it acknowledged that nudity detection is not applied to the camera, to third-party messaging apps or to search functions. That gap means children can still take, view, share and save naked pictures in those areas of the device.