UK to force Apple and Google to block explicit images on children’s smartphones

Lisa Nandy says the government will start work on an act of parliament to prevent under-18s taking, sharing or viewing nude images on their devices. Photograph: EMS-FORSTER-PRODUCTIONS/Getty Images

Apple and Google will be forced to block explicit images on children’s smartphones by law in the UK after talks failed to produce a breakthrough, the government has said.

The legislation commitment puts ministers on a collision course with two of the biggest players in Silicon Valley, months after the government announced a social media ban for under-16s.