The UK government plans to compel Apple, Google and other technology companies to block children from encountering any nudity on their devices like iPhones and iPads — and to imprison executives who fail to act for up to 5 years, according to a new report Friday about policy changes in the works.
Seems like the sort of thing that could make incoming Apple CEO John Ternus a little nervous.
UK threatens to jail tech execs if kids keep seeing nudes on devices
Planned UK policy changes would make it impossible for children to send, receive, view or share nude images — covering everything from explicit material to sex scenes in mainstream films, according to The Times. Officials believe the measures would be the first of their kind anywhere in the world.
UK ministers expect to announce the policy next week, giving companies a short window to introduce or expand existing protections. If firms don’t comply, the government intends to introduce legislation carrying criminal penalties modeled on the Online Safety Act, which allows sentences of up to five years in prison.
What it means for Apple
Apple already operates child safety features introduced in 2022 after delays. They use on-device machine learning to detect possible child sexual abuse material in photos and videos. The company also introduced age verification in the UK in response to the Online Safety Act. But the government would expect Apple and other companies to consolidate and significantly extend those capabilities across their platforms.
Google introduced comparable features last year, detecting and blurring nude images while issuing warnings when a child attempts to open, send or forward them.
The government’s position represents a significant hardening from its earlier stance. Ministers previously said they would only “encourage” companies to adopt protective technology voluntarily.
Political pressure builds
The policy shift follows high-profile ministerial departures. Jess Phillips quit as a Home Office minister last month, citing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s refusal to make protections mandatory. Alex Davies-Jones left her role as a justice minister over similar frustrations. She argued that the government had invested heavily in relationships with tech industry figures while leaving victims feeling sidelined.
Phillips welcomed the apparent change of direction, though she urged the government not to shy away from demanding action. She argued that the technology to block nude images already exists and that companies face no significant technical barriers to implementation.
The UK National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children backed the proposals. Its policy lead argued that features blocking children from taking, sharing or viewing nude images play a critical role in protecting young people from grooming, sexual extortion and the spread of child sexual abuse material.
Civil liberties concerns
Not everyone supports the approach. Big Brother Watch director Silkie Carlo warned that enforcing these restrictions would effectively require identity checks for every person using a phone, tablet or laptop in Britain. She argued that the surveillance software underpinning any such system could end up serving purposes far beyond child protection. And that the plans represent crossing the line toward authoritarian internet governance.
Carlo also questioned whether the measures would actually work. She suggested children could simply bypass restrictions by using devices registered to adults.
What comes next
The UK government has not yet confirmed the announcement. A spokesperson declined to comment on what they called “leaks or speculation.” If the policy proceeds as described, Apple and other major platform operators face a tight deadline to demonstrate compliance. Or they could risk their executives facing criminal prosecution.
David Snow, an expert on Apple hardware and software, writes on a variety of technological and cultural topics for Cult of Mac. They include Apple news, technology buying guides, and features about computer setups and Apple TV shows and movies.
With 30 years of experience covering technology and other subjects, he has written and edited for numerous print and online publications, including CMP Media, TechTV.com, CNET, Wired News, Red Herring magazine, Law.com, The National Law Journal and Law Technology News magazine. Among other roles, he served as executive editor of the Law.com network of websites and editorial director, technology, for ALM Media.
Snow graduated with a B.A. from Syracuse University with majors in magazine journalism and psychology. While there, he worked as a reporter for The Daily Orange newspaper and associate editor of Equal Time magazine.
Founder of the blog At the Waterline, he can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) via @atthewaterline and on Mastodon via @dsnow.
