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Tech firms and child safety agencies will receive authority to evaluate whether AI tools can produce child abuse images under new British laws.

Significant Rise in AI-Generated Illegal Material

The declaration coincided with revelations from a protection monitoring body showing that reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse material have increased dramatically in the past year, rising from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

New Legal Structure

Under the amendments, the authorities will permit designated AI developers and child protection organizations to examine AI models – the underlying technology for conversational AI and image generators – and ensure they have adequate protective measures to prevent them from creating depictions of child exploitation.

"Ultimately about stopping abuse before it happens," declared the minister for AI and online safety, adding: "Experts, under rigorous conditions, can now identify the risk in AI models early."

Addressing Legal Challenges

The changes have been implemented because it is against the law to produce and possess CSAM, meaning that AI developers and other parties cannot generate such content as part of a testing regime. Until now, officials had to wait until AI-generated CSAM was published online before dealing with it.

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

Legislative Structure

The changes are being added by the government as modifications to the crime and policing bill, which is also establishing a ban on owning, creating or distributing AI systems designed to generate exploitative content.

Real-World Consequences

This week, the official toured the London base of a children's helpline and listened to a simulated call to advisors involving a report of AI-based exploitation. The call depicted a adolescent seeking help after being blackmailed using a sexualised deepfake of himself, constructed using AI.

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

Concerning Data

A leading online safety foundation reported that instances of AI-generated exploitation content – such as webpages that may contain numerous images – had more than doubled so far this year.

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

• Girls were predominantly victimized, making up 94% of illegal AI depictions in 2025
• Portrayals of infants to two-year-olds increased from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Sector Response

The legislative amendment could "constitute a vital step to guarantee AI tools are secure before they are released," stated the chief executive of the internet monitoring organization.

"Artificial intelligence systems have made it so survivors can be targeted all over again with just a simple actions, providing criminals the capability to create potentially limitless quantities of advanced, lifelike exploitative content," she added. "Material which further exploits survivors' trauma, and makes children, especially girls, more vulnerable on and off line."

Counseling Session Data

Childline also released information of support interactions where AI has been referenced. AI-related harms mentioned in the sessions comprise:

• Employing AI to evaluate weight, body and looks
• Chatbots dissuading children from consulting safe adults about harm
• Being bullied online with AI-generated content
• Digital blackmail using AI-manipulated images

Between April and September this year, the helpline delivered 367 counselling sessions where AI, chatbots and associated topics were mentioned, significantly more as many as in the equivalent timeframe last year.

Half of the references of AI in the 2025 sessions were connected with psychological wellbeing and wellness, encompassing utilizing chatbots for support and AI therapy applications.