The Government plans to introduce legislation requiring technology companies to prevent children from taking, sharing or viewing nude images on smartphones and apps. Digital secretary Lisa Nandy said Apple, Google and app developers had made some progress after being given three months to strengthen protections, but their response did not match the scale of the problem. Proposed measures would require device-level safeguards, with age verification needed to unlock features intended for adults. Ministers say the legislation aims to prevent children being groomed, coerced or blackmailed into creating intimate images. The Internet Watch Foundation estimates that 91% of such material involving children is self-generated, sometimes after manipulation by offenders. The NSPCC and other child protection organisations have welcomed the announcement while urging rapid implementation. Technology companies, while acknowledging the problem, warn that safeguards must also protect privacy and device security. The measures accompany the government’s planned social media ban for under-16s, which is expected to take effect in spring 2027.