Business · BBC Technology
UK police bosses say unsafe social media services should be blocked for under-16s
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Children should be blocked from accessing social, AI and gaming apps which do not disable "high-risk" features such as private messaging, UK police chiefs have said.
Key facts
- Biggar said that in 2025 the NCA saw 92,000 reports of potential child sexual abuse activity online from tech companies, and the number was growing
- with offending becoming more severe
- The National Crime Agency (NCA) and National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) said under-16s should be banned from sites that did not prevent children from being contacted by strangers
- But NCA director general Graeme Biggar said "their assessment is clear: the online environment in its current form is not safe for children
- But former minister Jess Phillips recently accused the government of being slow to enact the measure
Summary
The National Crime Agency (NCA) and National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) said under-16s should be banned from sites that did not prevent children from being contacted by strangers, and those that recommended harmful content or permitted the sharing of nude photos. The joint call has been made in response to the government's consultation on whether to ban social media for under-16s. In response, the government said tech firms must protect children online and it backed regulator Ofcom "to act against those who fail to comply". "We are going further - consulting on options from age limits and app curfews to outright bans," a government spokesperson added.