Intimate Image Abuse: Offences against Children
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effectiveness of device-level nudity blocking technology in preventing child sexual exploitation.
Answered by Natalie Fleet
The Prime Minister announced on Monday 8 June that Britain would become the first country in the world to make it impossible for children to take, share and view nude imagery. We will work with tech companies for three months to ensure that comprehensive nudity detection is implemented at operating system level, with adults able to switch it off by proving they are over-18 through age assurance.
Children are being exposed to sexual harm every single day. Grooming, sextortion, coercion into sending nude images, and early exposure to pornography are now common experiences for young people. A single image, shared under pressure or manipulation, can trap a child in a cycle of abuse.
Comprehensive nudity blocking at device-level would prevent children from being able to take, share and view nude imagery – thereby fundamentally disrupting grooming and sextortion.
We have stated that, if companies do not act within three months, then the government will bring forward legislation to force them to activate the technology. This will include fines for companies. Nothing is off the table, and as a last resort we are exploring criminal liability for tech bosses who fail to comply.
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