Update: UK to Require Apple, Google to Block Nude Images on Children's Devices

10:09 AM EDT, 09/09/2026 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates to add Apple's comments in the fifth and sixth paragraphs.) Apple (AAPL), Alphabet's (GOOG, GOOGL) and other major technology platforms will be required to stop children from taking, sharing or viewing nude images on their phones and tablets under proposed UK legislation, Secretary of State for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports Lisa Nandy said Tuesday. The government plans to introduce the bill "as soon as [it] can," after giving Apple and Google a three-month timeframe in June to adopt device-level protections voluntarily, Nandy said in a speech to Parliament. Both companies have already developed "meaningful changes," but they still "do not meet the scale of [the] crisis," Nandy added. Google was "pleased to have made progress" and "fully committed" to working with lawmakers to keep children safe, a spokesperson told MT Newswires in an emailed statement. An Apple spokesperson told MT Newswires that the company launched its "Communication Safety feature in 2021 to help prevent children from viewing or sharing photos or videos that contain nudity." "We share the UK's commitment to combating exploitation and abuse online, and have shared with UK officials future plans to strengthen Communication Safety and other tools even further to help keep kids safe," the Apple spokesperson said. Price: 317.27, Change: +1.05, Percent Change: +0.33