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Technology companies and child protection agencies will receive authority to evaluate whether AI systems can generate child abuse images under recently introduced British laws.

Significant Increase in AI-Generated Harmful Content

The declaration coincided with findings from a safety watchdog showing that cases of AI-generated child sexual abuse material have more than doubled in the last twelve months, rising from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

Updated Regulatory Framework

Under the changes, the authorities will allow approved AI developers and child safety organizations to inspect AI models – the foundational systems for conversational AI and image generators – and ensure they have adequate protective measures to stop them from producing depictions of child sexual abuse.

"Ultimately about stopping exploitation before it happens," stated the minister for AI and online safety, noting: "Specialists, under rigorous conditions, can now identify the danger in AI systems early."

Addressing Legal Obstacles

The amendments have been introduced because it is against the law to create and possess CSAM, meaning that AI creators and other parties cannot create such content as part of a testing process. Until now, officials had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was published online before dealing with it.

This legislation is designed to averting that problem by helping to stop the production of those materials at their origin.

Legal Framework

The amendments are being introduced by the government as modifications to the crime and policing bill, which is also establishing a ban on possessing, creating or distributing AI models developed to generate exploitative content.

Practical Consequences

This week, the minister visited the London headquarters of Childline and heard a simulated call to advisors featuring a account of AI-based abuse. The call portrayed a adolescent seeking help after facing extortion using a sexualised deepfake 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 families," he said.

Alarming Data

A prominent internet monitoring foundation stated that instances of AI-generated exploitation content – such as online pages that may contain multiple files – had significantly increased so far this year.

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

• Girls were overwhelmingly targeted, making up 94% of illegal AI images in 2025
• Depictions of infants 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 tools are secure before they are launched," commented the chief executive of the internet monitoring foundation.

"Artificial intelligence systems have made it so survivors can be victimised all over again with just a simple actions, giving criminals the capability to create potentially endless quantities of advanced, lifelike child sexual abuse material," she added. "Material which further commodifies victims' trauma, and makes children, especially female children, more vulnerable both online and offline."

Counseling Interaction Data

The children's helpline also released details of counselling interactions where AI has been referenced. AI-related risks mentioned in the sessions comprise:

• Employing AI to evaluate body size, physique and looks
• AI assistants dissuading young people from consulting safe adults about harm
• Facing harassment online with AI-generated content
• Digital extortion using AI-faked images

Between April and September this year, the helpline delivered 367 support interactions where AI, conversational AI and related topics were mentioned, four times as many as in the same period last year.

Half of the mentions of AI in the 2025 interactions were related to mental health and wellbeing, including using chatbots for assistance and AI therapy applications.