After it blocked adult sites, the UK government is reportedly about to ask Apple and Google to prevent any explicit images without device age verification.

It is already possible for parents to safeguard their children by restricting their access to age-inappropriate material on iPhone. But now according to the Financial Times, the UK wants smartphone users to have to verify their age in just the same way it now requires verification for adult websites.

If the report is correct, the aim would be to encourage Apple and Google to do this, rather than directly require it. Reportedly, the UK government considered mandating nudity-detecting algorithms, but for now is going to ask the companies to consider it.

The move is part of the UK's Online Safety Act, and specifically to be part of the government's pledge to cut violence against women and children. Initially, this request to Apple and Google is to be expressly for their iPhone and Android platforms, but may later extend to desktops.

Objections and effectiveness

While the reasoning behind the request is laudable, there are civil rights questions — and also issues over how effective such blocking can ever be. Unless this is to become just a political point-scoring move, the UK has to do better than it did with blocking adult websites.

When that requirement was introduced in 2025, it caused unexpected issues. Sites that had no adult content at all were being blocked, and one of them — Imgur — has dropped UK support rather than implement the age verification measures.

So the blocking caused problems, but most of those appear to be sorted out now. Plus having a few issues on regular sites is a small price to pay if the system blocks adult sites.

However, it does not. As noted at the time by TechRadar, usage of VPNs to get around the UK's block soared. Proton VPN reported an hourly increase in subscriptions of 1,400% when the block first began.

Then others who do not use a VPN are said to have used fake photographs to get through the automated age detection system.

This all means that the UK's blocking of adult sites is less the effective barrier it was meant to be, and more a PR exercise. However, putting the onus on smartphone manufacturers could be much better at preventing workarounds.

The UK government has announced that it is shortly to detail its plans for cutting violence against women. Presumably, this will be a part of it and is likely to be formally announced in the next few days.

In the longer term, the UK is debating a regulatory change for VPNs. The debate is officially about banning VPNs for children, but it would necessarily require adults to use age verification.

It follows Australia's blanket ban on social media for children and young teenagers. While it's down to the social media platforms to enact the ban, Apple recently issued instructions to developers about how to comply.