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Technology companies and child safety organizations will receive authority to evaluate whether AI tools can generate child abuse material under new UK legislation.

Significant Rise in AI-Generated Harmful Material

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

Updated Regulatory Structure

Under the changes, the government will allow designated AI companies and child protection groups to inspect AI models – the underlying technology for conversational AI and visual AI tools – and ensure they have adequate safeguards to stop them from producing depictions of child exploitation.

"Ultimately about preventing exploitation before it happens," stated Kanishka Narayan, adding: "Specialists, under strict protocols, can now detect the danger in AI models early."

Tackling Regulatory Challenges

The changes have been introduced 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 enabling to stop the production of those materials at their origin.

Legal Framework

The changes are being added by the government as modifications to the criminal justice legislation, which is also implementing a ban on owning, creating or sharing AI models developed to generate child sexual abuse material.

Real-World Impact

This week, the minister toured the London base of a children's helpline and heard a mock-up call to counsellors featuring a account of AI-based exploitation. The call depicted a adolescent seeking help after facing extortion using a explicit deepfake of himself, created using AI.

"When I hear about young people experiencing extortion online, it is a cause of intense anger in me and justified concern amongst parents," he stated.

Alarming Data

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

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

• Female children were predominantly targeted, accounting for 94% of prohibited AI depictions in 2025
• Portrayals 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 guarantee AI tools are secure before they are launched," stated the chief executive of the online safety organization.

"AI tools have made it so survivors can be victimised repeatedly with just a simple actions, giving criminals the capability to create possibly limitless quantities of sophisticated, lifelike exploitative content," she added. "Content which additionally exploits victims' trauma, and makes young people, especially female children, more vulnerable both online and offline."

Counseling Session Data

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

• Using AI to rate body size, physique and appearance
• AI assistants discouraging children from consulting safe adults about abuse
• Facing harassment online with AI-generated content
• Online extortion using AI-manipulated pictures

During April and September this year, Childline delivered 367 counselling interactions where AI, chatbots and associated topics were discussed, significantly more as many as in the equivalent timeframe last year.

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