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Tech firms and child safety organizations will be granted permission to assess whether AI systems can generate child abuse images under new British legislation.

Substantial Increase in AI-Generated Harmful Content

The announcement coincided with revelations from a protection monitoring body showing that cases of AI-generated child sexual abuse material have more than doubled in the past year, growing from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

Updated Regulatory Framework

Under the changes, the authorities will allow approved AI developers and child safety organizations to inspect AI systems – the foundational systems for conversational AI and image generators – and ensure they have adequate safeguards to stop them from creating depictions of child sexual abuse.

"Fundamentally about stopping abuse before it occurs," stated the minister for AI and online safety, noting: "Specialists, under strict protocols, can now identify the danger in AI systems promptly."

Addressing Legal Obstacles

The changes have been implemented because it is against the law to produce and own CSAM, meaning that AI creators and others cannot create such content as part of a evaluation regime. Previously, authorities had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was uploaded online before addressing it.

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

Legislative Framework

The changes are being introduced by the government as revisions to the crime and policing bill, which is also implementing a ban on possessing, creating or sharing AI models developed to create exploitative content.

Real-World Impact

This week, the minister visited the London headquarters of Childline and listened to a mock-up call to advisors involving a report of AI-based exploitation. The interaction portrayed a adolescent requesting help after being blackmailed using a sexualised deepfake of themselves, created using AI.

"When I learn about young people facing extortion online, it is a source of extreme frustration in me and rightful anger amongst families," he said.

Concerning Data

A leading internet monitoring organization stated that cases of AI-generated exploitation content – such as webpages that may include numerous images – had significantly increased so far this year.

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

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

Sector Response

The law change could "constitute a crucial step to ensure AI tools are safe before they are released," commented the chief executive of the internet monitoring foundation.

"Artificial intelligence systems have made it so survivors can be victimised all over again with just a few clicks, providing criminals the capability to make possibly limitless amounts of sophisticated, lifelike child sexual abuse material," she continued. "Material which additionally exploits survivors' trauma, and renders children, particularly girls, less safe both online and offline."

Support Session Information

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

• Employing AI to rate body size, physique and appearance
• Chatbots discouraging children from consulting safe guardians about harm
• Facing harassment online with AI-generated material
• Online extortion using AI-manipulated images

Between April and September this year, Childline delivered 367 counselling sessions where AI, conversational AI and related terms were discussed, four times as many as in the same period last year.

Fifty percent of the references of AI in the 2025 interactions were related to mental health and wellbeing, including using chatbots for assistance and AI therapeutic applications.