🔗 Share this article

Technology companies and child safety agencies will be granted authority to assess whether artificial intelligence tools can generate child exploitation images under new British legislation.

Significant Increase in AI-Generated Illegal Content

The declaration coincided with revelations from a safety watchdog showing that reports of AI-generated CSAM have more than doubled in the last twelve months, rising from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

New Regulatory Framework

Under the amendments, the authorities will permit approved AI developers and child safety organizations to inspect AI systems – the underlying systems for chatbots and image generators – and verify they have adequate protective measures to prevent them from producing depictions of child sexual abuse.

"Ultimately about preventing exploitation before it occurs," declared Kanishka Narayan, adding: "Specialists, under rigorous protocols, can now detect the risk in AI systems early."

Tackling Regulatory Obstacles

The amendments have been introduced because it is against the law to produce and possess CSAM, meaning that AI developers and others cannot generate such images as part of a evaluation process. Until now, authorities had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was uploaded online before addressing it.

This law is designed to averting that issue by helping to halt the creation of those images at source.

Legal Framework

The amendments are being introduced by the government as revisions to the criminal justice legislation, which is also establishing a prohibition on owning, creating or distributing AI models developed to generate exploitative content.

Real-World Impact

This week, the official visited the London base of a children's helpline and listened to a simulated conversation to counsellors featuring a report of AI-based abuse. The interaction depicted a adolescent 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 cause of intense frustration in me and rightful concern amongst parents," he stated.

Alarming Data

A leading online safety foundation stated that cases of AI-generated abuse content – such as webpages that may contain multiple images – had significantly increased so far this year.

Cases of category A material – the most serious form of abuse – rose from 2,621 visual files to 3,086.

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

Sector Response

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

"AI tools have made it so survivors can be targeted repeatedly with just a few clicks, providing offenders the capability to create possibly endless amounts of sophisticated, photorealistic exploitative content," she added. "Content which further exploits survivors' suffering, and renders young people, especially female children, more vulnerable both online and offline."

Counseling Session Data

Childline also published information 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 discouraging young people from talking to safe guardians about abuse
• Being bullied online with AI-generated material
• Digital extortion using AI-manipulated pictures

During April and September this year, the helpline delivered 367 support interactions where AI, chatbots and related terms were discussed, significantly more as many as in the same period last year.

Fifty percent of the references of AI in the 2025 interactions were connected with psychological wellbeing and wellness, including utilizing chatbots for support and AI therapeutic applications.