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Technology companies and child safety agencies will be granted authority to evaluate whether artificial intelligence systems can generate child abuse images under new UK legislation.

Substantial Rise in AI-Generated Harmful Material

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

Updated Regulatory Framework

Under the changes, the authorities will allow approved AI developers and child protection groups to examine AI models – the foundational systems for chatbots and visual AI tools – and ensure they have sufficient safeguards to prevent them from producing images of child sexual abuse.

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

Tackling Regulatory Challenges

The changes have been implemented because it is against the law to produce and possess CSAM, meaning that AI developers and other parties cannot generate such images as part of a testing process. Previously, authorities had to wait until AI-generated CSAM was published online before dealing with it.

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

Legislative Structure

The amendments are being introduced by the government as revisions to the crime and policing bill, which is also implementing a ban on owning, creating or sharing AI models developed to create exploitative content.

Real-World Impact

This week, the minister toured the London headquarters of a children's helpline and listened to a simulated call to counsellors featuring a account of AI-based exploitation. The call depicted a adolescent seeking help after facing extortion using a sexualised AI-generated image of themselves, created using AI.

"When I hear about young people facing blackmail online, it is a source of extreme anger in me and justified concern amongst parents," he said.

Alarming Statistics

A prominent online safety organization stated that instances of AI-generated abuse content – such as webpages that may contain multiple files – had significantly increased so far this year.

Instances of category A content – the most serious form of abuse – increased from 2,621 visual files to 3,086.

• Girls were overwhelmingly victimized, making up 94% of prohibited AI depictions in 2025
• Portrayals of infants to two-year-olds increased from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Sector Reaction

The law change could "constitute a crucial step to guarantee AI tools are safe before they are released," commented the chief executive of the internet monitoring organization.

"Artificial intelligence systems have made it so victims can be victimised all over again with just a few clicks, giving offenders the ability to make potentially endless amounts of advanced, lifelike child sexual abuse material," she added. "Content which additionally exploits victims' suffering, and makes children, particularly female children, more vulnerable both online and offline."

Support Interaction Information

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

• Using AI to evaluate body size, body and looks
• Chatbots dissuading children from talking to trusted guardians about harm
• Facing harassment online with AI-generated material
• Online blackmail using AI-faked pictures

During April and September this year, Childline delivered 367 support interactions where AI, chatbots and related topics were mentioned, four times as many as in the equivalent timeframe last year.

Fifty percent of the mentions of AI in the 2025 sessions were connected with psychological wellbeing and wellbeing, encompassing utilizing AI assistants for assistance and AI therapy applications.