British police support mandatory age verification on social media: “The longer we wait, the more children we fail”

The National Crime Agency (NCA) and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) feel that social media platforms should have stricter access rules to protect under-16s from harmful content and online predators.

In an online appeal, the law enforcement agencies argue that online platforms have design features that are actively exploited by criminals to target children. This isn’t limited to social media, but also involves gaming platforms, messaging apps, and AI platforms.

“Given the scale of abuse and harm, these features should not be available on apps used by children. Tech platforms must effectively stop children from using those features or make them safe. If they do not, the government should ban them for under-16s,” the law enforcement authorities state.

According to the NCA and NPCC, there are approximately 840,000 adults in the UK who pose a sexual risk to children online, which is equivalent to 1.5% of the UK’s population. In 2025, the NCA received almost 100,000 referrals of possible child sexual abuse, a fourfold increase in six years. About 1,000 offenders are arrested monthly, protecting approximately 1,200 children.

“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. Enough is enough. Either the tech companies must effectively stop children using those features or make them safe,” NCA Director General Graeme Biggar says in a statement.

“This is not about punishing children, this is about protecting them. We want children to be able to use social media channels, gaming sites, and AI capabilities safely and free from the risk of harm. We firmly believe that the restrictions we're calling for will be the catalyst for tech companies to make these absolutely essential changes so that, eventually, children will be able to do so,” Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, Chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council, adds.

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Among other things, the NCA and NPCC recommend that policymakers shouldn’t ban apps, but rather force tech companies to make them safer. On top of that, robust and consistent age verification checks should be implemented.

“Platforms must use reliable verification, such as identity checks at account creation, and apply child-appropriate settings automatically. Ticking a box claiming to be over 16 is not sufficient,” the agencies argue.

Lastly, children’s devices should block the ability to take, share, or view nude images. How that would work technically, the agencies don’t say.

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