UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is calling on Apple and Google to activate built-in features that block children from accessing sexually explicit images on their devices, according to the BBC. The government expects both tech giants to switch on these tools as a baseline protection for younger users.
The push reflects growing pressure on Silicon Valley to retrofit safeguards that were never part of the original design. As IEEE President's Note in IEEE Spectrum points out, children born after 2013 are the first generation to grow up fully immersed in digital systems — systems that, critically, were built for adults. According to UNICEF data cited by IEEE Spectrum, one-third of the world's internet users are under 18.
The key detail in the BBC's reporting is that Apple and Google already have the technical capability to do this — the features exist but aren't turned on by default. The government's demand is essentially that protective tools should be the starting point, not an opt-in buried in settings menus.
Neither company has publicly responded to Starmer's call, and it remains unclear whether the UK government will back the request with legislation or rely on voluntary compliance.
The story matters because it signals a shift in how governments are beginning to treat default settings as a policy lever — and could set a precedent for how children's devices are configured in other countries.