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Technology companies and child protection organizations will be granted authority to evaluate whether AI tools can generate child abuse material under recently introduced British legislation.

Significant Increase in AI-Generated Illegal Material

The announcement came as revelations from a protection watchdog showing that reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse material have more than doubled in the last twelve months, growing from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

Updated Regulatory Framework

Under the changes, the authorities will allow designated AI developers and child protection groups to examine AI models – the underlying systems for conversational AI and image generators – and verify they have adequate protective measures to prevent them from creating depictions of child sexual abuse.

"Fundamentally about stopping exploitation before it occurs," declared the minister for AI and online safety, adding: "Experts, under strict protocols, can now detect the risk in AI systems promptly."

Addressing Legal Challenges

The changes have been introduced because it is illegal to produce and own CSAM, meaning that AI creators and other parties cannot generate such images as part of a testing regime. Until now, officials had to wait until AI-generated CSAM was published online before addressing it.

This legislation is aimed at preventing that issue by helping to stop the production of those images at their origin.

Legislative Framework

The amendments are being added by the authorities as modifications to the criminal justice legislation, which is also establishing a prohibition on owning, producing or sharing AI models designed to generate exploitative content.

Real-World Impact

This week, the official toured the London base of a children's helpline and listened to a mock-up call to advisors featuring a report of AI-based abuse. The interaction depicted a teenager requesting help after facing extortion using a explicit AI-generated image of themselves, created using AI.

"When I hear about young people experiencing blackmail online, it is a cause of intense frustration in me and rightful concern amongst parents," he said.

Alarming Statistics

A leading internet monitoring foundation stated that instances of AI-generated abuse content – such as online pages that may include multiple images – had significantly increased so far this year.

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

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

Industry Reaction

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

"Artificial intelligence systems have made it so survivors can be targeted repeatedly with just a simple actions, providing offenders the ability to make possibly limitless amounts of advanced, lifelike child sexual abuse material," she continued. "Content which additionally exploits survivors' suffering, and renders young people, especially female children, more vulnerable on and off line."

Support Session Information

Childline also published information of counselling interactions where AI has been referenced. AI-related harms discussed in the sessions comprise:

• Employing AI to rate weight, body and looks
• Chatbots dissuading children from talking to safe guardians about abuse
• Being bullied online with AI-generated material
• Digital extortion using AI-faked images

Between April and September this year, the helpline delivered 367 counselling sessions where AI, chatbots and associated topics were mentioned, significantly more as many as in the same period last year.

Half of the references of AI in the 2025 sessions were connected with mental health and wellbeing, encompassing utilizing AI assistants for assistance and AI therapy apps.