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Tech firms and child protection agencies will be granted authority to assess whether AI tools can produce child abuse images under new British laws.

Significant Rise in AI-Generated Harmful Material

The announcement came as revelations from a protection monitoring body showing that cases of AI-generated child sexual abuse material have increased dramatically in the past year, growing from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

Updated Legal Structure

Under the changes, the authorities will allow approved AI developers and child safety groups to inspect AI systems – the underlying technology for chatbots and image generators – and verify they have sufficient protective measures to stop them from producing depictions of child sexual abuse.

"Ultimately about preventing abuse before it occurs," stated the minister for AI and online safety, adding: "Specialists, under strict protocols, can now identify the risk in AI systems promptly."

Tackling Regulatory Obstacles

The changes have been implemented because it is illegal to create and possess CSAM, meaning that AI developers and other parties cannot create such images as part of a evaluation process. Until now, officials had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was published online before addressing it.

This legislation is designed to preventing that issue by helping to halt the creation of those materials at source.

Legal Structure

The amendments are being added by the government as modifications to the criminal justice legislation, which is also implementing a prohibition on possessing, creating or distributing AI models developed to create child sexual abuse material.

Practical Impact

This recently, the minister toured the London base of a children's helpline and heard a simulated call to advisors involving a report of AI-based exploitation. The interaction portrayed a adolescent requesting help after being blackmailed using a sexualised AI-generated image of himself, created using AI.

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

Concerning Data

A prominent online safety organization stated that instances of AI-generated abuse content – such as webpages that may include multiple images – had more than doubled so far this year.

Instances of category A material – the most serious form of abuse – increased from 2,621 images or videos to 3,086.

• Girls were overwhelmingly targeted, accounting for 94% of illegal AI depictions in 2025
• Portrayals of infants to toddlers rose from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Industry Response

The law change could "constitute a vital step to ensure AI products are secure before they are launched," stated the head of the internet monitoring foundation.

"Artificial intelligence systems have enabled so survivors can be victimised all over again with just a simple actions, providing offenders the capability to create potentially endless amounts of sophisticated, photorealistic exploitative content," she continued. "Material which additionally exploits survivors' trauma, and renders young people, particularly female children, more vulnerable on and off line."

Counseling Session Data

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

• Using AI to evaluate weight, body and appearance
• AI assistants discouraging children from consulting trusted guardians about harm
• Facing harassment online with AI-generated content
• Digital extortion using AI-faked pictures

Between April and September this year, Childline delivered 367 counselling sessions where AI, conversational AI 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 sessions were related to mental health and wellbeing, including utilizing AI assistants for support and AI therapy apps.