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Technology companies and child protection organizations will be granted authority to assess whether AI tools can generate child exploitation material under new UK legislation.

Significant Increase in AI-Generated Illegal Content

The declaration came as revelations 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 Structure

Under the amendments, the government will permit approved AI developers and child protection organizations to examine AI models – the foundational systems for conversational AI and image generators – and ensure they have sufficient safeguards to prevent them from creating depictions of child sexual abuse.

"Fundamentally about preventing abuse before it happens," declared Kanishka Narayan, adding: "Specialists, under rigorous conditions, can now detect the risk in AI models promptly."

Addressing Legal Obstacles

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

This law is designed to averting that issue by helping to stop the production of those images at source.

Legal Structure

The amendments are being added by the government as revisions to the criminal justice legislation, which is also establishing a prohibition on owning, creating or distributing AI models designed to create exploitative content.

Real-World Consequences

This recently, the minister visited the London base of a children's helpline and heard a mock-up conversation to advisors involving a report of AI-based abuse. The call portrayed a adolescent requesting help after facing extortion using a explicit deepfake of himself, constructed using AI.

"When I learn about children experiencing blackmail online, it is a cause of extreme anger in me and rightful concern amongst parents," he stated.

Alarming Data

A leading internet monitoring foundation reported that instances of AI-generated abuse material – such as online pages that may include multiple images – had significantly increased so far this year.

Instances of the most severe content – the gravest form of exploitation – rose from 2,621 visual files to 3,086.

• Girls were overwhelmingly victimized, making up 94% of illegal AI depictions in 2025
• Depictions of infants to toddlers rose from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Sector Response

The legislative amendment could "constitute a vital step to ensure AI tools are safe before they are released," commented 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 criminals the capability to create possibly endless quantities of sophisticated, lifelike exploitative content," she added. "Material which additionally commodifies victims' suffering, and renders young people, particularly female children, less safe on and off line."

Support Session Information

Childline also released details of support sessions where AI has been mentioned. AI-related harms discussed in the conversations include:

• Employing AI to rate weight, body and appearance
• Chatbots dissuading children from consulting trusted adults about harm
• Being bullied online with AI-generated material
• Online extortion using AI-manipulated images

Between April and September this year, Childline conducted 367 counselling sessions where AI, chatbots and related terms were mentioned, significantly more as many as in the same period last year.

Fifty percent of the mentions of AI in the 2025 interactions were connected with psychological wellbeing and wellness, encompassing using AI assistants for assistance and AI therapeutic apps.