UK police bosses urge unsafe platforms to be blocked for under-16s

Children should be blocked from accessing social, AI. gaming apps which do not disable "high-risk" features such as private messaging, UK police chiefs have said.

The National Crime Agency (NCA). 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 tothe government's consultation on whether to ban social media for under-16s.

In response, the government said tech firms must protect children online. it backed regulator Ofcom "to act against those who fail to comply".

"We are going further - consulting on options from age limits. app curfews to outright bans," a government spokesperson added.

"We also remain committed to making it impossible for children in the UK to take, share or view nude images,. are working at pace to deliver this."

But NCA director general Graeme Biggar said "our assessment is clear: the online environment in its current form is not safe for children".

"The industry response has been too slow, while the problem has been getting worse," he said in a statement.

Chief constable Gavin Stephens, chair of the NPCC, added the online sphere had become "something of a wild west" in which law. regulation had "failed to keep up with the pace of technology".

Biggar said both crime agencies would prefer children to be able to participate online safely. reap the benefits it provides.

Their proposals alsofall short of an Australia-style ban on social media for the under-16s, he added.

The government recently pledged to introduce some form of social media restrictions for under-16seven if it stopped short of a ban.

The NCA. NPCC identified six features of platforms they believe enable "harm at-scale" and should not be present on apps or services used by children.

Many such features are already targeted inthe Online Safety Act- a set of rules. accompanying codes which platforms must comply with to operate in the UK.

Ofcom has the power to investigate and fine companies suspected of breaching these rules.

But police argue the government should legislate to prevent under-16s accessing any platform or app which offers features deemed "high-risk".

It also wants Ofcom to be given the power to enforce platform's minimum age policies effectively. mandate the introduction of device-level nudity controls so that under-18s cannot take, share or stream nude images or videos.

Biggar said that in 2025 the NCA saw 92,000 reports of potential child sexual abuse activity online from tech companies,. the number was growing - with offending becoming more severe.

"They involve younger and younger children and we are increasingly seeing children offending as well as being victims," he said.

He argued the issue had worsened because tech firms had chosen not to make child safety "a core design principle".

"This refusal to prioritise safety by design is boosting criminals' speed and reach," added Stephens.

However. some platforms such asInstagramandApplehave looked to combat a reported rise in sextortion with tech that aims to stop children seeing or sending nude images in messages.

It is not the first time that the government has been called on to strengthen measures to prevent children from taking. seeing or sharing nude images online.

Such measures were proposed as part of the government's violence against women and girls strategy.

But former minister Jess Phillips recentlyaccused the government of being slow to enact the measure.

Meanwhile some charities have raised concerns about end-to-end encrypted messaging - saying making messages readable only to the sender. receiver could impede efforts to find and clamp down on child abuse and grooming.

Instagram recently disabled the tech for direct messages sent on the platform. while TikTok hastold the BBC it has "no plans" to introduce it.

However some experts and campaigners argue private messaging can be a vital way to preserve online privacy and data.

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