🔗 Share this article

Tech firms and child safety organizations will receive authority to evaluate whether AI systems can generate child abuse images under new UK legislation.

Significant Rise in AI-Generated Illegal Material

The declaration coincided with findings from a safety watchdog showing that reports of AI-generated CSAM have increased dramatically in the past year, growing from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

Updated Regulatory Framework

Under the amendments, the government will permit approved AI companies and child protection groups to examine AI models – the underlying technology for conversational AI and visual AI tools – and verify they have sufficient safeguards to prevent them from creating depictions of child exploitation.

"Ultimately about preventing abuse before it happens," declared Kanishka Narayan, adding: "Specialists, under rigorous conditions, can now detect the danger in AI systems promptly."

Addressing Regulatory Challenges

The changes have been implemented because it is against the law to create and possess CSAM, meaning that AI creators and others cannot generate such images as part of a evaluation process. Until now, authorities had to wait until AI-generated CSAM was published online before addressing it.

This legislation is aimed at averting that issue by enabling to halt the production of those materials at their origin.

Legal Structure

The amendments are being introduced by the government as modifications to the crime and policing bill, which is also implementing a prohibition on possessing, creating or sharing AI models designed to create exploitative content.

Real-World Consequences

This week, the official visited the London base of Childline and heard a mock-up conversation to counsellors featuring a account of AI-based abuse. The interaction portrayed a adolescent requesting help after facing extortion using a sexualised AI-generated image of themselves, created using AI.

"When I learn about young people experiencing extortion online, it is a cause of intense frustration in me and justified anger amongst parents," he said.

Concerning Data

A leading internet monitoring organization reported that instances of AI-generated exploitation material – such as online pages that may include multiple images – had more than doubled so far this year.

Cases of the most severe material – the most serious form of exploitation – increased from 2,621 visual files to 3,086.

• Female children were overwhelmingly victimized, making up 94% of illegal AI images in 2025
• Depictions of newborns to two-year-olds rose from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Sector Reaction

The law change could "constitute a crucial step to ensure AI products are secure before they are released," stated the head of the online safety foundation.

"Artificial intelligence systems have enabled so survivors can be victimised all over again with just a simple actions, giving offenders the ability to create possibly limitless quantities of advanced, lifelike child sexual abuse material," she added. "Content which additionally exploits victims' trauma, and makes children, especially girls, less safe both online and offline."

Counseling Interaction Information

Childline also released details of support interactions where AI has been mentioned. AI-related harms mentioned in the conversations include:

• Using AI to rate body size, body and looks
• AI assistants dissuading children from consulting trusted guardians about harm
• Being bullied online with AI-generated content
• Online extortion using AI-faked images

Between April and September this year, the helpline conducted 367 counselling interactions where AI, chatbots and associated terms were mentioned, significantly more as many as in the same period last year.

Half of the references of AI in the 2025 interactions were related to psychological wellbeing and wellness, encompassing using chatbots for support and AI therapy apps.