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Technology companies and child protection organizations will receive authority to evaluate whether AI tools can generate child exploitation material under recently introduced British legislation.

Significant Rise in AI-Generated Harmful Material

The declaration coincided with revelations from a protection watchdog showing that reports 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 Framework

Under the amendments, the government will allow designated AI developers and child safety organizations to examine AI systems – the foundational technology for conversational AI and image generators – and verify they have adequate safeguards to stop them from creating depictions of child sexual abuse.

"Ultimately about stopping abuse before it occurs," declared the minister for AI and online safety, noting: "Specialists, under strict protocols, can now identify the risk in AI systems promptly."

Addressing Legal Obstacles

The changes have been introduced because it is illegal to create and own CSAM, meaning that AI developers and other parties cannot generate such images as part of a evaluation process. Previously, officials had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was uploaded online before addressing it.

This law is designed to preventing that problem by helping to stop the production of those images at their origin.

Legal Structure

The amendments are being added by the authorities as modifications to the crime and policing bill, which is also implementing a ban on owning, producing or distributing AI systems developed to create exploitative content.

Real-World Impact

This recently, the minister visited the London base of Childline and listened to a simulated conversation to counsellors featuring a account of AI-based abuse. The interaction portrayed a adolescent requesting help after facing extortion using a sexualised AI-generated image of himself, constructed using AI.

"When I hear about children facing blackmail online, it is a source of extreme anger in me and rightful concern amongst families," he said.

Alarming Data

A leading internet monitoring organization reported that cases of AI-generated exploitation material – such as online pages that may include multiple images – had significantly increased so far this year.

Cases of category A material – the gravest form of exploitation – increased from 2,621 images or videos to 3,086.

• Female children were overwhelmingly targeted, making up 94% of illegal AI images in 2025
• Depictions of newborns to two-year-olds increased from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Industry Response

The law change could "represent a crucial step to guarantee AI tools are secure before they are launched," commented the head of the internet monitoring foundation.

"AI tools have made it so victims can be targeted repeatedly with just a simple actions, giving offenders the capability to create potentially limitless amounts of advanced, lifelike exploitative content," she added. "Material which further exploits survivors' trauma, and renders children, particularly female children, more vulnerable on and off line."

Support Session Data

The children's helpline also published details of support sessions where AI has been mentioned. AI-related harms mentioned in the conversations comprise:

• Using AI to evaluate body size, physique and looks
• AI assistants dissuading children from consulting trusted adults about abuse
• Being bullied online with AI-generated material
• Digital blackmail using AI-faked pictures

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

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