The government has announced that sharing intimate images without consent will be made a ‘priority offence’ under the Online Safety Act, and social media firms will have to proactively remove and stop this material appearing on their platforms.

The new rules will force tech firms to clamp down on the sharing of non-consensual intimate images on their platforms as part of a drive to tackle online sexual offending.

The strengthening of the law follows the government’s commitment to ensure new and existing technologies are safely developed to help keep people safe online, particularly women and girls with around 11 million women thought to have suffered from abuse and harassment on social media, according to the charity Refuge.

It’s hoped the changes will help tackle sexual offending and the normalisation of misogynistic material online as part of the government’s mission to halve violence against women and girls over the next decade.

Speaking on the problem Jess Phillips, safeguarding minister, said: “The scale of violence against women and girls in all its forms is a national emergency, whether in person or online.

“Platforms must take responsibility for the content they host and we must ensure victims receive the support they deserve.”

Under the new laws, social media firms and search services are required to protect their users from illegal material on their sites, with protections due to come into force from Spring next year.

Intimate image abuse will join other serious forms of illegal content that are classed as ‘priority offences’, which includes public order offences and the sale of weapons and drugs online, meaning regulated online platforms will have to proactively remove these images from appearing on their sites.

If firms fail to comply with their duties the communications regulator Ofcom will have enforcement powers, including imposing fines that could reach 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue.

“We must tackle these crimes from every angle, including their origins online, ensuring tech companies step up and play their part,” said the technology secretary, Peter Kyle.

“Social media firms will face extra legal obligations – backed up by big fines – to uproot this content from their sites, helping to stop their normalisation and preventing generations becoming desensitised to their damaging effects.”

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A global study from Kaspersky recently revealed that 69% of 16-24 year-olds and 63% of 25-34 year-olds in the UK have reported experiences of revenge porn.

The research also highlighted the issue of ‘victim blaming’ across all age groups, with almost half (48%) of respondents to Kaspersky’s survey agreeing that if you share an image of yourself, it is your fault if it ends up in the wrong hands.

Advice for those wanting to stay safe online includes knowing who you’re sharing data with, checking permissions on the apps you use, using messengers which have end-to-end encryption, and keeping any evidence if you believe you are the victim of intimate image abuse.