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

An important development from the financial markets: UK police bosses urge unsafe platforms to be blocked for under-16s14 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleChris VallanceSenior technology reporterGetty ImagesChildren 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. The National Crime Agency (NCA) and National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) said sites that do not prevent children from being contacted by strangers, recommended harmful content and sharing nude photos should be banned for under-16s. The joint call, responding to the government's consultation on whether to ban social media for under-16s, comes as platforms vow to make services safer for children.

The government said tech firms must protect children online and it backs 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. "We also remain committed to making it impossible for children in the UK to take, share or view nude images, and are working at pace to deliver this.

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"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 and 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 and reap the benefits it provides. Their proposals also fall 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-16s even if it stopped short of a ban.

'Harm at-scale'The NCA and NPCC identified six features of platforms they believe enable "harm at-scale" and should not be present on apps or services used by children. These are:Mass discoverability of childrenUnrestricted contact from unknown adultsPrivate or encrypted messagingAlgorithms that promote harmful and illegal contentNude image sharing or streamingWeak age checks allowing children to easily access adult environmentsMany such features are already targeted in the Online Safety Act - a set of rules and 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".

Economists are analysing what the news means for the markets.