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Written question asked by Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 15 June 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 29 June 2026. It was answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Labour) on Monday, 29 June 2026 on behalf of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.


Mobile Phones: Children

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government, following their decision to mandate on-device nudity safeguards, what consideration they have given to requiring the use of the same technology to deploy real-time age estimation so that when an adult’s phone is picked up by a child it will automatically disable applications that are harmful to children.

Answer

The government recognises the benefits of device-level protections and we are encouraged by industry developments which make smartphones safer for children.

On 8 June, we committed to working with operating system providers over the next three months so that Britain is the first country in the world to make it impossible for children to take, share and view naked pictures on devices.

Where evidence demonstrates that further action is necessary to protect children and the wider public, we will not hesitate to act.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL920
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Children Protection Mobile phones Safety Age assurance
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk