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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 recently introduced British laws.

Substantial Increase in AI-Generated Illegal Content

The declaration came as revelations from a protection watchdog showing that reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse material have increased dramatically in the last twelve months, growing from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

New Regulatory Framework

Under the changes, the authorities will permit designated AI developers and child protection groups to examine AI systems – the underlying systems for chatbots and image generators – and ensure they have adequate protective measures to prevent them from producing images of child exploitation.

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

Tackling Legal Obstacles

The amendments have been introduced because it is illegal to produce and own CSAM, meaning that AI creators and other parties cannot create such images as part of a testing regime. Until now, officials had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was published online before dealing with it.

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

Legal Structure

The amendments are being added by the authorities as modifications to the criminal justice legislation, which is also establishing a ban on owning, producing or sharing AI systems designed to create exploitative content.

Real-World Impact

This week, the official visited the London headquarters of Childline and listened to a mock-up call to counsellors involving a report of AI-based exploitation. The call portrayed a teenager requesting help after being blackmailed using a sexualised deepfake of themselves, constructed using AI.

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

Concerning Statistics

A prominent online safety organization stated that cases of AI-generated abuse content – such as online pages that may contain multiple files – had significantly increased so far this year.

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

• Female children were overwhelmingly targeted, accounting for 94% of illegal AI images in 2025
• Depictions of infants to two-year-olds rose from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Industry Response

The law change could "constitute a crucial step to ensure AI products are safe before they are released," stated the chief executive of the online safety organization.

"Artificial intelligence systems have made it so victims can be victimised repeatedly with just a simple actions, giving criminals the ability to create potentially endless quantities of sophisticated, lifelike child sexual abuse material," she added. "Material which additionally exploits survivors' suffering, and renders young people, especially girls, more vulnerable on and off line."

Counseling Session Data

Childline also published information of support sessions where AI has been mentioned. AI-related harms discussed in the conversations comprise:

• Using AI to rate weight, body and appearance
• AI assistants dissuading children from talking to trusted adults about abuse
• Facing harassment online with AI-generated material
• Digital blackmail using AI-faked images

Between April and September this year, the helpline conducted 367 support sessions where AI, chatbots and related topics were discussed, significantly more as many as in the same period last year.

Fifty percent of the mentions of AI in the 2025 sessions were connected with mental health and wellbeing, including utilizing chatbots for support and AI therapeutic apps.