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Tech firms and child protection agencies will receive authority to evaluate whether artificial intelligence tools can produce child abuse material under recently introduced British laws.

Substantial Increase in AI-Generated Illegal Content

The announcement came as findings from a protection monitoring body showing that reports of AI-generated CSAM have more than doubled in the past year, 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 underlying systems for chatbots and visual AI tools – and ensure they have adequate safeguards to stop them from creating images of child sexual abuse.

"Ultimately about stopping exploitation before it occurs," declared Kanishka Narayan, adding: "Experts, under rigorous protocols, can now detect the risk in AI models promptly."

Tackling Regulatory Challenges

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

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

Legislative Structure

The amendments are being introduced by the government as modifications to the crime and policing bill, which is also establishing a prohibition on owning, creating or sharing AI models designed to generate exploitative content.

Practical Consequences

This week, the minister toured the London base of Childline and heard a simulated call to advisors featuring a account of AI-based exploitation. The call portrayed a adolescent seeking help after facing extortion using a sexualised deepfake of himself, created using AI.

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

Alarming Data

A prominent 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.

Instances of the most severe material – the gravest form of abuse – rose from 2,621 images or videos to 3,086.

• Female children were predominantly victimized, making up 94% of prohibited AI images in 2025
• Depictions of newborns to two-year-olds rose from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Sector Reaction

The law change could "constitute a crucial step to guarantee AI tools are secure before they are released," commented the chief executive of the online safety foundation.

"AI tools have enabled so victims can be victimised all over again with just a few clicks, giving criminals the capability to create potentially endless amounts of sophisticated, lifelike child sexual abuse material," she added. "Material which additionally commodifies victims' suffering, and renders children, especially female children, more vulnerable both online and offline."

Support Session Data

Childline also published information of support sessions where AI has been referenced. AI-related harms mentioned in the sessions include:

• Employing AI to rate body size, body and looks
• AI assistants discouraging young people from talking to trusted guardians about abuse
• Being bullied online with AI-generated material
• Online extortion using AI-manipulated pictures

During April and September this year, the helpline conducted 367 support interactions where AI, chatbots and associated topics were discussed, four times as many as in the same period last year.

Fifty percent of the mentions of AI in the 2025 interactions were related to mental health and wellbeing, including utilizing chatbots for support and AI therapeutic applications.