New UK Government Action to Protect Children Online
Summary:
June 2026
The UK Government has announced new measures requiring tech companies to prevent children from taking, sending, or viewing sexually explicit images on their smartphones and other devices.
This week's announcement from the Prime Minister is a groundbreaking step forward in improving child safety online. We’re deeply encouraged to see the government pushing for stronger action from tech companies to stop sexual exploitation on children's devices. This could be the start of real change for protecting children online.
But more must be done to tackle the full scale of child abuse online.
In 2025, 73% of analysed child sexual abuse material was not self-generated, suggesting much of the abuse was captured on adult devices (Internet Watch Foundation). Europol also reports that livestreamed child sexual abuse is now the main form of commercial sexual exploitation of children.
The UK is among the top three global consumers of for-profit livestreamed child abuse (UK NCA). This means adult offenders in the UK are misusing their devices to direct and pay for the livestreamed sexual abuse of children.
To protect children fully, action must go further. Tech companies need to take responsibility not only for safeguarding children’s devices, but also for preventing abuse on adult devices. This includes deploying privacy-preserving, on-device technology to block harm - stopping the abuse before it starts.
Write to your MP today and call for Tech that Protects children