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Tech firms and child safety organizations will be granted authority to evaluate whether AI tools can produce child exploitation images under recently introduced UK legislation.

Substantial Increase in AI-Generated Illegal Material

The announcement came as findings from a protection watchdog showing that cases of AI-generated child sexual abuse material have more than doubled in the past year, growing from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

Updated Regulatory Structure

Under the changes, the government will allow designated AI developers and child protection groups to examine AI models – the underlying systems for chatbots and visual AI tools – and verify they have adequate protective measures to stop them from producing images of child sexual abuse.

"Fundamentally about preventing abuse before it occurs," declared Kanishka Narayan, noting: "Experts, under rigorous protocols, can now identify the danger in AI systems promptly."

Tackling Legal Obstacles

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

This legislation is aimed at preventing that problem by helping to stop the production of those images at source.

Legal Framework

The changes are being added by the authorities as revisions to the crime and policing bill, which is also establishing a prohibition on owning, creating or distributing AI systems developed to create exploitative content.

Real-World Consequences

This recently, the official visited the London headquarters of Childline and heard a simulated conversation to counsellors featuring a report of AI-based exploitation. The call portrayed a adolescent requesting help after facing extortion using a sexualised AI-generated image of themselves, created using AI.

"When I hear about children facing blackmail online, it is a cause of extreme frustration in me and justified concern amongst parents," he stated.

Alarming Statistics

A leading internet monitoring foundation stated that instances of AI-generated exploitation content – such as online pages that may contain multiple images – had more than doubled so far this year.

Instances of the most severe material – the gravest form of exploitation – rose 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

Industry Reaction

The law change could "represent a crucial step to guarantee AI tools are safe before they are released," stated the head of the online safety foundation.

"AI tools have enabled so victims can be targeted all over again with just a simple actions, giving offenders the ability to create potentially endless amounts of advanced, lifelike exploitative content," she continued. "Material which additionally exploits victims' trauma, and renders children, especially female children, more vulnerable both online and offline."

Counseling Interaction Information

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

• Using AI to rate body size, physique and looks
• Chatbots discouraging children from consulting safe guardians about abuse
• Being bullied online with AI-generated material
• Online blackmail using AI-faked images

Between April and September this year, the helpline conducted 367 counselling interactions where AI, conversational AI and associated terms were discussed, four times as many as in the same period last year.

Half of the mentions of AI in the 2025 interactions were connected with mental health and wellbeing, encompassing using AI assistants for support and AI therapy apps.