India, Dec. 16 -- The debate over protecting children from harmful online content has intensified globally, leading to distinct regulatory paths. While the UK is pushing device manufacturers like Apple and Google to build mandatory, system-wide nudity-blocking software into smartphones, India focuses on increasing the accountability of online platforms and enforcing verifiable age consent through its data protection laws.

The UK government is moving forward with a new radical strategy that places the responsibility for content filtering directly onto smartphone hardware and software makers. The UK government formally plans to ask Apple and Google to embed advanced nudity-detection software directly into their mobile operating systems. Th...