🔗 Share this article

Technology companies and child protection agencies will receive permission to assess whether artificial intelligence systems can generate child abuse images under recently introduced UK laws.

Significant Increase in AI-Generated Illegal Material

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

Updated Regulatory Structure

Under the changes, the government will permit approved AI companies and child protection groups to inspect AI systems – the foundational technology for conversational AI and image generators – and ensure they have adequate protective measures to prevent them from producing depictions of child sexual abuse.

"Fundamentally about stopping abuse before it occurs," stated the minister for AI and online safety, noting: "Experts, under rigorous protocols, can now detect the danger in AI systems early."

Addressing Legal Challenges

The amendments have been implemented 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. Previously, officials had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was uploaded online before addressing it.

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

Legislative Framework

The amendments are being added by the government as revisions to the crime and policing bill, which is also establishing a ban on possessing, producing or distributing AI systems developed to create child sexual abuse material.

Practical Consequences

This recently, the minister toured the London headquarters of Childline and listened to a mock-up conversation to advisors involving a account of AI-based abuse. The interaction depicted a teenager seeking help after facing extortion using a explicit deepfake of himself, created using AI.

"When I learn about young people facing extortion online, it is a source of intense anger in me and rightful anger amongst parents," he stated.

Alarming Statistics

A leading internet monitoring foundation reported that instances of AI-generated abuse content – such as online pages that may include multiple files – had significantly increased so far this year.

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

• Girls were overwhelmingly victimized, accounting for 94% of prohibited AI depictions in 2025
• Depictions of infants to two-year-olds increased from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Sector Response

The legislative amendment could "represent a crucial step to guarantee AI tools are safe before they are launched," stated the head of the internet monitoring foundation.

"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 limitless quantities of advanced, photorealistic child sexual abuse material," she continued. "Content which additionally exploits survivors' suffering, and makes children, especially female children, less safe both online and offline."

Support Session Data

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

• Employing AI to rate body size, body and appearance
• Chatbots discouraging children from talking to safe guardians about harm
• Facing harassment online with AI-generated content
• Online extortion using AI-faked pictures

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

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