Social media ban latest: Starmer demands tech companies clamp down to protect children

The majority of online child sexual abuse cases involve children creating and sharing nude images of themselves.

The first nude images are often shared after a child is posted online, where an adult attacker impersonates a child to gain their trust.

Perpetrators then use this initial nude photo to blackmail their child victims, sometimes threatening to attack family members and siblings if the child does not provide more pictures.

91 percent of online child sexual abuse reports recorded in 2024 contained content produced by children themselves, with the average child now viewing pornography by the age of 13.

Government officials have warned that it is not possible to stop the rise in child sexual abuse through law enforcement tactics such as arrests and charges because the problem is so large.

As a result, they first try to make it impossible for children to share nude photos to prevent the cycle of abuse from starting.

This will also prevent perpetrators of child abuse from obtaining further images of children.

52 percent of all child sexual abuse and exploitation cases involve children between the ages of 10 and 17 committing crimes against other children.

Our political editor David Maddox writes:

Sir Keir Starmer may be in a tough spot as prime minister, but at least he won’t go down without a fight against the range of issues that have plagued his government for at least two years.

This morning Sir Keir used his speech at London Technology Week to come down hard on social media giants.

It gave major companies like Google and Apple a three-month window to block nudity by default; people were able to get around this hurdle simply by confirming they were 18 or older.

But in a way it was a classic of the Starmer genre in the last two years of government.

An argument that had been going on for months within his government and whose inaction eventually cost him a senior minister (the Home Office’s Jess Phillips) he eventually struggled with but still managed to stamp out the problem.

Some will wonder whether Sir Keir will become prime minister within three months to carry out his threat.

Ms Phillips in particular welcomed the move but wanted it done months ago.

Once again, it feels like it’s too little too late; It’s a trait that eroded Sir Keir’s authority during his two years as Prime Minister.

Kemi Badenoch said the prime minister should take children off social media rather than taking “piecemeal” action after telling tech companies they must stop children sending and receiving explicit images to their devices or face a change in the law.

The Conservative Party leader said: “I think today’s move is an idea with no proper plan behind it.

“I don’t want to see kids being able to send nudes, but I don’t know exactly how the government looks at this.

“A much simpler way to deal with these is to take children off social media rather than piecemeal measures that address problems one by one.

“We need to go much further than that.”

When asked whether he would support a ban on social media until the age of 18, he answered: “I think 16 is an appropriate age for children to start using social media.”

The Prime Minister’s ultimatum to tech firms on explicit images at the launch of London Technology Week on Monday was followed by speeches from the mayor of London and speeches from Microsoft and AMD executives.

Sir Sadiq Khan described himself as an “AI realist” and said he recognized both the “challenges and opportunities” of development.

“Technology is not evenly distributed across our country. During the Covid pandemic, we have learned that there are technology deserts where either the right kit, the right connectivity or the right training is not available, and this is a problem for us as a country and a city.

“This goes to ensuring that people can access the skills and not be afraid of this boogeyman AI.”

Lisa Su, managing director of semiconductor company AMD, announced in her speech that £2 billion will be invested in the UK over the next five years.

Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood said: “As a society we have failed to keep up with the changing threats facing children. Online abuse is rampant and we will not tolerate it.”

“Tech companies have a moral duty to take action by making it impossible for children to take, share or watch nude photos. Otherwise we will legislate.”

The Liberal Democrat deputy leader said it was “deeply regrettable” that it took Sir Keir Starmer so long to tell tech companies to stop children from sending or receiving sexually explicit images.

Daisy Cooper has criticized Sir Keir Starmer for not acting sooner, accusing him of instead choosing to make the announcement “in the context of a leadership battle”.

“I find it extremely regrettable that it took the Prime Minister almost two years to do this,” he said at a press conference on Monday.

“I think it is extremely regrettable that he did this in the context of a leadership challenge rather than doing it because it was the right thing to do.”

He added: “I hope we see real action from the prime minister, but I find it deeply regrettable that he did not act much sooner.”

If companies fail to act within three months, the government has said it will introduce legislation that will force them to activate the technology.

This will include fines for companies, and the Home Office has said it will investigate the criminal liability of tech moguls who do not comply with the rules.

The government wants Apple and Google to block full-device nudity by default; Therefore, this will only be disabled if you confirm that you are over 18 years of age.

The government is asking companies to enable built-in features on their devices or find technological solutions on smartphones and tablets to detect and block nude photos of children.

The changes will apply to both existing and new smartphones and tablets sold in the UK.

The legislation could cover operating systems such as Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android and other formats in the supply chain, such as retailers selling phones and tablets.

The changes will not affect the use of devices owned and used by adults who verify their age, officials said.

The Prime Minister is said to be preparing to announce plans to restrict children’s online activities to protect them from harmful content, following a nationwide consultation completed last month.

London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan stood behind the proposal, saying tech companies must prove their services are safe for children or face a ban on serving people under 16.

Ministers are considering evidence from Australia, which imposed a blanket ban in December. sunday sun It said the restriction in the UK would exclude a number of apps.

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Children’s charity NSPCC has welcomed the Government’s announcement to tackle sexually explicit images and insisted it is “time for big tech”.

NSPCC chief executive Chris Sherwood said: “Online grooming, sexual exploitation and the spread of child sexual abuse material could be prevented if technology companies did the right thing and implemented nudity blocking technology on children’s phones.

“With each day these protections are not enforced, more children will continue to face devastating harm in the online world.

We therefore strongly support the Government’s decision to require these companies to block inappropriate material at device level. This marks a major step forward in our fight against online child sexual exploitation.

“It’s time for big tech.

“Now the Government must focus on holding young people to account to ensure this transformational change to young people’s safety is delivered quickly.”