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Technology companies and child safety organizations will receive authority to evaluate whether AI tools can generate child abuse material under new UK legislation.

Significant Rise in AI-Generated Illegal Content

The declaration came as findings from a safety monitoring body showing that reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse material have increased dramatically in the last twelve months, rising from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

Updated Legal Structure

Under the amendments, the government will allow designated AI companies and child safety groups to examine AI models – the underlying systems for conversational AI and visual AI tools – and verify they have adequate safeguards to prevent them from producing depictions of child exploitation.

"Fundamentally about stopping abuse before it happens," declared the minister for AI and online safety, adding: "Specialists, under rigorous protocols, can now identify the risk in AI systems early."

Tackling Regulatory Challenges

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

This law is aimed at preventing that problem by enabling to halt the production of those materials at their origin.

Legal Structure

The amendments are being added by the government as revisions to the criminal justice legislation, which is also establishing a prohibition on owning, producing or sharing AI systems developed to create exploitative content.

Practical Impact

This week, the official visited the London base of Childline and listened to a mock-up conversation to advisors featuring a account of AI-based abuse. The interaction portrayed a teenager requesting help after facing extortion using a explicit AI-generated image of themselves, created using AI.

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

Concerning Data

A prominent online safety foundation stated that instances of AI-generated abuse material – such as webpages that may contain multiple images – had more than doubled so far this year.

Cases of category A content – the most serious form of exploitation – rose from 2,621 images or videos to 3,086.

• Female children were predominantly targeted, accounting for 94% of prohibited AI depictions in 2025
• Depictions of newborns to toddlers increased from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Sector Response

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

"Artificial intelligence systems have enabled so survivors can be victimised all over again with just a few clicks, providing offenders the ability to create potentially endless quantities of advanced, lifelike child sexual abuse material," she added. "Material which additionally commodifies victims' trauma, and makes young people, particularly girls, less safe on and off line."

Support Interaction Data

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

• Employing AI to evaluate body size, physique and appearance
• AI assistants discouraging children from consulting safe guardians about abuse
• Being bullied online with AI-generated content
• Online extortion using AI-faked pictures

Between April and September this year, the helpline delivered 367 support sessions where AI, conversational AI 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 related to mental health and wellbeing, encompassing using chatbots for support and AI therapy applications.