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Technology companies and child safety agencies will receive authority to evaluate whether artificial intelligence tools can produce child abuse images under recently introduced UK laws.

Substantial Increase in AI-Generated Illegal Content

The announcement coincided with findings from a safety watchdog showing that cases of AI-generated child sexual abuse material have more than doubled in the past year, growing from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

Updated Legal Structure

Under the changes, the authorities will allow designated AI companies and child safety organizations to inspect AI models – the underlying systems for conversational AI and visual AI tools – and ensure they have adequate safeguards to stop them from producing images of child sexual abuse.

"Ultimately about preventing exploitation before it happens," declared Kanishka Narayan, noting: "Experts, under strict conditions, can now identify the danger in AI models promptly."

Tackling Legal Obstacles

The amendments have been introduced because it is against the law to produce and possess CSAM, meaning that AI creators and other parties cannot generate such images as part of a testing process. Previously, officials had to wait until AI-generated CSAM was uploaded online before addressing it.

This legislation is designed to averting that issue by enabling to halt the production of those images at their origin.

Legislative Framework

The changes are being added by the authorities as revisions to the crime and policing bill, which is also establishing a prohibition on owning, creating or distributing AI systems developed to create child sexual abuse material.

Real-World Consequences

This week, the official toured the London base of a children's helpline and listened to a mock-up conversation to advisors featuring a report of AI-based exploitation. The call depicted a teenager requesting help after being blackmailed using a sexualised deepfake of himself, created using AI.

"When I learn about children facing extortion online, it is a cause of intense frustration in me and justified anger amongst families," he stated.

Concerning Statistics

A leading online safety foundation reported that instances of AI-generated abuse material – such as online pages that may contain numerous images – had significantly increased so far this year.

Instances of category A content – the gravest form of abuse – rose from 2,621 images or videos to 3,086.

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

Industry Reaction

The legislative amendment could "constitute a vital step to ensure AI products are safe before they are released," stated the chief executive of the online safety organization.

"Artificial intelligence systems have made it so survivors can be victimised repeatedly with just a few clicks, providing offenders the capability to create potentially endless amounts of sophisticated, photorealistic child sexual abuse material," she continued. "Content which additionally commodifies victims' suffering, and makes children, especially female children, less safe on and off line."

Support Session Data

Childline also published details of counselling sessions where AI has been mentioned. AI-related risks mentioned in the sessions comprise:

• Employing AI to evaluate weight, physique and looks
• AI assistants dissuading young people from consulting trusted guardians about harm
• Facing harassment online with AI-generated content
• Digital extortion using AI-manipulated images

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

Half of the references of AI in the 2025 sessions were related to mental health and wellbeing, encompassing using chatbots for assistance and AI therapy apps.