🔗 Share this article

Tech firms and child safety agencies will be granted authority to evaluate whether AI systems can generate child exploitation images under recently introduced UK legislation.

Substantial Increase in AI-Generated Harmful Material

The declaration coincided with findings from a safety watchdog showing that cases of AI-generated CSAM have increased dramatically in the past year, rising from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

Updated Legal Structure

Under the amendments, the government will allow designated AI developers and child safety organizations to examine AI systems – the underlying systems for conversational AI and visual AI tools – and verify they have sufficient protective measures to stop them from creating images of child sexual abuse.

"Ultimately about stopping exploitation before it happens," stated Kanishka Narayan, noting: "Experts, under rigorous protocols, can now identify the danger in AI systems early."

Addressing Legal Obstacles

The changes have been introduced because it is against the law to create and own CSAM, meaning that AI creators and other parties cannot create such images as part of a evaluation process. Previously, officials had to wait until AI-generated CSAM was uploaded online before dealing with it.

This law is designed to averting that problem by helping to stop the production of those materials at source.

Legislative Framework

The amendments are being introduced by the government as revisions to the criminal justice legislation, which is also establishing a prohibition on possessing, creating or sharing AI systems designed to create exploitative content.

Real-World Impact

This recently, the official toured the London headquarters of a children's helpline and listened to a mock-up call to counsellors involving a report of AI-based abuse. The call portrayed a teenager seeking help after being blackmailed using a explicit AI-generated image of himself, constructed using AI.

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

Concerning Statistics

A prominent internet monitoring 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 the most severe content – the most serious form of exploitation – increased from 2,621 visual files to 3,086.

• Female children were predominantly victimized, 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 Response

The law change could "constitute a vital step to guarantee AI tools are safe before they are launched," stated the head of the online safety organization.

"AI tools have made it so victims can be targeted repeatedly with just a simple actions, providing offenders the ability to create possibly endless quantities of sophisticated, photorealistic exploitative content," she added. "Content which further commodifies victims' trauma, and renders children, particularly 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 harms discussed in the conversations comprise:

• Using AI to evaluate body size, physique and looks
• Chatbots dissuading children from consulting safe adults about harm
• Facing harassment online with AI-generated material
• Digital extortion using AI-faked pictures

During April and September this year, Childline delivered 367 support interactions where AI, conversational AI and associated topics were discussed, 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 wellness, encompassing utilizing chatbots for support and AI therapeutic applications.