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Technology companies and child safety organizations will receive authority to assess whether AI systems can produce child exploitation images under new British legislation.

Significant Increase in AI-Generated Illegal Material

The declaration coincided with revelations from a protection monitoring body showing that cases of AI-generated child sexual abuse material have increased dramatically in the last twelve months, growing from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

Updated Legal Framework

Under the changes, the government will allow approved AI companies and child safety organizations to examine AI systems – the foundational technology for chatbots and image generators – and ensure they have adequate safeguards to stop them from creating depictions of child exploitation.

"Ultimately about stopping exploitation before it happens," declared Kanishka Narayan, noting: "Specialists, under strict protocols, can now identify the danger in AI systems promptly."

Tackling Regulatory Challenges

The amendments have been introduced because it is illegal to produce and possess CSAM, meaning that AI creators and other parties cannot generate such content as part of a evaluation regime. Until now, officials had to wait until AI-generated CSAM was uploaded online before dealing with it.

This law is aimed at preventing that problem by enabling to stop the creation of those materials at source.

Legislative Framework

The changes are being added by the government as revisions to the criminal justice legislation, which is also implementing a prohibition on possessing, producing or distributing AI systems developed to create exploitative content.

Practical Consequences

This week, the minister visited the London base of Childline and listened to a simulated conversation to counsellors involving a report of AI-based exploitation. The interaction portrayed a teenager requesting help after being blackmailed using a explicit AI-generated image of himself, created using AI.

"When I learn about young people facing blackmail online, it is a cause of intense frustration in me and justified concern amongst families," he said.

Alarming Data

A leading online safety organization stated that cases of AI-generated exploitation content – such as webpages that may contain multiple images – had significantly increased so far this year.

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

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

Sector Reaction

The legislative amendment could "constitute a crucial step to guarantee AI tools are secure before they are released," stated the head of the online safety organization.

"Artificial intelligence systems have enabled so victims can be victimised repeatedly with just a simple actions, providing offenders the ability to make potentially limitless amounts of advanced, lifelike exploitative content," she continued. "Content which further exploits survivors' suffering, and makes children, especially female children, more vulnerable both online and offline."

Support Session Information

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

• Using AI to rate weight, physique and appearance
• Chatbots dissuading children from talking to trusted adults about abuse
• Being bullied online with AI-generated material
• Online extortion using AI-faked images

During April and September this year, the helpline conducted 367 counselling interactions where AI, chatbots and associated terms were mentioned, significantly more as many as in the equivalent timeframe last year.

Half of the mentions of AI in the 2025 sessions were related to mental health and wellness, including using chatbots for assistance and AI therapeutic apps.