🔗 Share this article

Tech firms and child protection agencies will be granted authority to evaluate whether artificial intelligence tools can produce child exploitation images under new UK laws.

Substantial Rise in AI-Generated Harmful Content

The declaration coincided with findings 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.

Updated Legal Structure

Under the changes, the authorities will allow approved AI developers and child safety organizations to examine AI systems – the foundational systems for conversational AI and image generators – and ensure they have sufficient protective measures to prevent them from creating depictions of child exploitation.

"Fundamentally about stopping exploitation before it occurs," declared Kanishka Narayan, adding: "Specialists, under strict protocols, can now identify the risk in AI systems promptly."

Tackling 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. Until now, authorities had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was uploaded online before dealing with it.

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

Legislative Framework

The changes are being introduced by the government as revisions to the crime and policing bill, which is also implementing a prohibition on owning, creating or sharing AI models developed to create exploitative content.

Real-World Consequences

This week, the minister visited the London headquarters of a children's helpline and heard a simulated call to advisors involving a report of AI-based exploitation. The interaction portrayed a adolescent requesting help after being blackmailed using a sexualised deepfake of themselves, constructed using AI.

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

Alarming Statistics

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

Instances of the most severe material – the gravest form of abuse – rose from 2,621 visual files to 3,086.

• Female children were predominantly victimized, accounting for 94% of prohibited AI depictions in 2025
• Portrayals of infants to toddlers increased from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Industry Response

The law change could "constitute a crucial step to ensure AI tools are secure before they are launched," stated the chief executive of the internet monitoring organization.

"Artificial intelligence systems have enabled so victims can be targeted all over again with just a few clicks, providing offenders the ability to make potentially endless quantities of sophisticated, lifelike exploitative content," she continued. "Content which additionally commodifies survivors' trauma, and makes young people, particularly girls, less safe both online and offline."

Support Interaction Information

Childline also published information of counselling interactions where AI has been mentioned. AI-related risks mentioned in the conversations comprise:

• Employing AI to rate weight, physique and looks
• AI assistants discouraging young people from talking to safe guardians about harm
• Facing harassment online with AI-generated material
• Digital blackmail using AI-manipulated images

During April and September this year, Childline conducted 367 counselling sessions where AI, chatbots and related terms were mentioned, significantly more as many as in the equivalent timeframe last year.

Fifty percent of the references of AI in the 2025 sessions were connected with psychological wellbeing and wellness, including utilizing chatbots for support and AI therapy applications.