🔗 Share this article

Technology companies and child protection agencies will receive authority to evaluate whether artificial intelligence tools can produce child abuse material under new UK legislation.

Substantial Rise in AI-Generated Harmful Content

The announcement came as findings from a safety monitoring body showing that cases of AI-generated child sexual abuse material have increased dramatically in the past year, growing from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

Updated Regulatory Structure

Under the amendments, the authorities will permit designated AI companies and child safety organizations to examine AI systems – the foundational technology for conversational AI and visual AI tools – and ensure they have adequate protective measures to stop them from producing depictions of child exploitation.

"Fundamentally about preventing abuse before it occurs," declared the minister for AI and online safety, noting: "Specialists, under rigorous protocols, can now detect the risk in AI models early."

Tackling Legal Challenges

The amendments have been implemented because it is illegal to create and possess CSAM, meaning that AI developers and other parties cannot create such images as part of a evaluation regime. Previously, officials had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was uploaded online before dealing with it.

This legislation is designed to averting that issue by enabling to halt the creation of those images at source.

Legislative Framework

The amendments are being introduced by the authorities as revisions to the criminal justice legislation, which is also implementing a ban on owning, creating or distributing AI systems developed to generate child sexual abuse material.

Practical Impact

This recently, the official visited the London base of Childline and heard a simulated conversation to advisors involving a report of AI-based abuse. The call depicted a teenager seeking help after being blackmailed using a explicit deepfake of himself, constructed using AI.

"When I learn about children facing blackmail online, it is a source of extreme anger in me and justified concern amongst parents," he stated.

Concerning Statistics

A leading online safety foundation stated that instances of AI-generated exploitation material – such as online pages that may contain numerous files – had more than doubled so far this year.

Instances of the most severe content – the gravest form of exploitation – increased from 2,621 visual files to 3,086.

• Girls were overwhelmingly victimized, making up 94% of prohibited AI images in 2025
• Depictions of infants to toddlers rose from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Sector Response

The law change could "represent a vital step to ensure AI tools are safe before they are released," stated the chief executive of the internet monitoring foundation.

"AI tools have enabled so survivors can be targeted repeatedly with just a simple actions, providing criminals the ability to create potentially endless quantities of advanced, lifelike child sexual abuse material," she added. "Content which further exploits survivors' suffering, and renders children, particularly girls, more vulnerable both online and offline."

Counseling Session Information

Childline also released information of support sessions where AI has been referenced. AI-related risks mentioned in the sessions comprise:

• Using AI to rate body size, physique and appearance
• AI assistants dissuading young people from consulting safe guardians about abuse
• Being bullied online with AI-generated content
• Online blackmail using AI-manipulated images

Between April and September this year, Childline conducted 367 support sessions where AI, conversational AI and associated topics were mentioned, four times as many as in the same period last year.

Fifty percent of the mentions of AI in the 2025 interactions were related to psychological wellbeing and wellness, encompassing utilizing chatbots for support and AI therapy apps.