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Tech firms and child protection organizations will receive authority to assess whether AI systems can generate child abuse images under recently introduced British legislation.

Substantial Increase in AI-Generated Harmful Material

The declaration came as findings 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 Legal Framework

Under the changes, the government will permit approved AI companies and child safety groups to inspect AI models – the underlying systems for chatbots and visual AI tools – and ensure they have sufficient safeguards to prevent them from creating images of child sexual abuse.

"Ultimately about preventing exploitation before it occurs," declared the minister for AI and online safety, adding: "Experts, under strict conditions, can now detect the danger in AI systems early."

Tackling Legal Challenges

The amendments have been implemented because it is illegal to create and possess CSAM, meaning that AI developers and others cannot create such images as part of a testing process. Until now, authorities had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was uploaded online before dealing with it.

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

Legal Framework

The changes are being introduced by the authorities as modifications to the criminal justice legislation, which is also establishing a prohibition on possessing, producing or distributing AI systems developed to generate child sexual abuse material.

Real-World Impact

This week, the minister visited the London base of Childline and listened to a simulated conversation to advisors featuring a account of AI-based abuse. The interaction depicted a adolescent seeking help after facing extortion using a sexualised deepfake of himself, constructed using AI.

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

Alarming Statistics

A prominent online safety foundation reported that instances of AI-generated exploitation content – such as webpages that may contain numerous files – had more than doubled so far this year.

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

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

Sector Response

The law change could "represent a vital step to guarantee AI tools are secure before they are released," commented the head of the online safety organization.

"AI tools have enabled so victims can be targeted repeatedly with just a simple actions, providing criminals the capability to make potentially endless quantities of advanced, photorealistic child sexual abuse material," she continued. "Content which further commodifies survivors' trauma, and renders children, especially girls, less safe both online and offline."

Support Session Data

The children's helpline also published information of support sessions where AI has been mentioned. AI-related harms discussed in the conversations comprise:

• Employing AI to rate body size, body and looks
• Chatbots dissuading young people from talking to trusted adults about abuse
• Being bullied online with AI-generated material
• Online blackmail using AI-faked pictures

Between April and September this year, Childline conducted 367 counselling sessions where AI, conversational AI and related topics were discussed, four times as many as in the same period last year.

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