Britain’s top law enforcement leaders want under-16 restrictions on social media, gaming, messaging and AI platforms, warning that online services are helping offenders groom, exploit and blackmail children.
The intervention from the National Crime Agency and the National Police Chiefs’ Council increases pressure on ministers as the UK government finalises online child safety policy. Senior officers say platforms should either remove dangerous features for children or face government bans covering users under 16.
Senior officers say offenders are exploiting platform features that let adults contact children directly or move conversations into private encrypted chats.
The agencies identified several platform features they believe create the highest dangers for children, including mass discoverability of minors, unrestricted adult messaging, encrypted chats, algorithmic recommendations, weak age verification systems and nude image-sharing functions.
NCA Director General Graeme Biggar said the online environment “in its current form is not safe for children” and accused parts of the technology industry of failing to move quickly enough while abuse continues to rise. He pointed to investigations involving grooming networks, sextortion, violent coercion and offenders arranging in-person abuse through online services.
NPCC Chair Gavin Stephens said parts of the online world had become “a wild west” where regulation had failed to keep pace with technology. He also accused some companies of continuing to use features that criminals can exploit easily to target vulnerable children.
The figures released alongside the warning are likely to intensify scrutiny on tech companies operating in the UK. The NCA estimates that as many as 840,000 adults in Britain pose some level of sexual risk to children, while referrals linked to suspected online child sexual abuse reached almost 100,000 in 2025, equivalent to roughly 250 reports each day. Online-facilitated abuse now accounts for at least 42% of recorded child sexual abuse offences across England and Wales.
The recommendations from the NCA and NPCC stop short of demanding blanket app bans. Instead, they target specific platform features viewed as high risk unless companies can prove children are protected effectively. Proposed measures include stronger identity and age verification systems, safeguards against users bypassing protections, restrictions on nude image sharing involving minors and broader online safety education.
Encrypted messaging and AI-driven recommendation systems are likely to remain politically contentious as governments attempt to balance privacy rights against child protection demands. If ministers move toward stricter controls, technology companies operating in Britain could face heavier compliance obligations, product redesign pressure and broader regulatory oversight.
The recommendations say children who report online grooming or coercion should be treated as victims and given support rather than being punished.