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Technology companies and child safety organizations will receive authority to assess whether AI tools can generate child exploitation material under new UK laws.

Significant Increase in AI-Generated Harmful Material

The declaration came as revelations from a protection monitoring body showing that reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse material have increased dramatically in the past year, rising from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

New Legal Framework

Under the changes, the government will allow designated AI companies and child protection organizations to inspect AI systems – the underlying systems for conversational AI and image generators – and verify they have sufficient safeguards to stop them from producing depictions of child sexual abuse.

"Fundamentally about preventing exploitation before it occurs," declared Kanishka Narayan, noting: "Experts, under strict conditions, can now identify the risk in AI systems early."

Addressing Regulatory Challenges

The amendments have been implemented because it is against the law to produce and possess CSAM, meaning that AI creators and other parties cannot generate such content as part of a evaluation regime. Previously, authorities had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was published online before dealing with it.

This legislation is aimed at averting that problem by helping to halt the creation of those materials at source.

Legislative Framework

The amendments are being added by the government as modifications to the crime and policing bill, which is also implementing a prohibition on possessing, creating or sharing AI systems designed to generate child sexual abuse material.

Practical Consequences

This week, the official toured the London headquarters of a children's helpline and listened to a mock-up call to counsellors featuring a report of AI-based abuse. The call portrayed a adolescent requesting help after being blackmailed using a sexualised AI-generated image of himself, created using AI.

"When I hear about children facing blackmail online, it is a cause of extreme anger in me and justified anger amongst families," he stated.

Concerning Statistics

A leading internet monitoring organization stated that cases of AI-generated abuse material – such as online pages that may contain numerous images – had significantly increased so far this year.

Instances of the most severe material – the most serious form of exploitation – rose from 2,621 images or videos to 3,086.

• Female children were predominantly targeted, accounting for 94% of illegal AI depictions in 2025
• Portrayals of newborns to two-year-olds rose from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Industry Reaction

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

"AI tools have enabled so survivors can be targeted all over again with just a few clicks, providing criminals the ability to make possibly limitless amounts of advanced, lifelike child sexual abuse material," she added. "Material which further commodifies survivors' trauma, and makes young people, especially girls, less safe both online and offline."

Counseling Interaction Data

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

• Using AI to rate weight, physique and looks
• AI assistants discouraging children from consulting safe adults about abuse
• Being bullied online with AI-generated material
• Online extortion using AI-manipulated pictures

During April and September this year, Childline delivered 367 counselling sessions where AI, chatbots and related topics were discussed, significantly more as many as in the same period last year.

Half of the mentions of AI in the 2025 interactions were related to psychological wellbeing and wellness, including using chatbots for support and AI therapeutic applications.