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Tech firms and child protection organizations will be granted authority to evaluate whether artificial intelligence tools can produce child exploitation images under recently introduced British laws.

Significant Rise in AI-Generated Illegal Content

The declaration came as findings from a protection watchdog 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 Regulatory Framework

Under the changes, the government will allow designated AI companies and child protection groups to examine AI systems – the underlying systems for chatbots and image generators – and ensure they have adequate protective measures to stop them from producing images of child sexual abuse.

"Ultimately about preventing abuse before it happens," stated the minister for AI and online safety, adding: "Experts, under rigorous protocols, can now detect the risk in AI systems early."

Addressing Legal Obstacles

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

This legislation is aimed at averting that issue by helping to stop the creation of those materials at source.

Legislative Framework

The amendments are being introduced by the authorities as revisions to the criminal justice legislation, which is also establishing a ban on owning, creating or distributing AI systems developed to create exploitative content.

Practical Consequences

This week, the minister visited the London headquarters of Childline and listened to a mock-up conversation to advisors involving a report of AI-based abuse. The call portrayed a adolescent seeking help after facing extortion using a explicit deepfake of himself, constructed using AI.

"When I hear about children facing blackmail online, it is a cause of intense frustration in me and justified concern amongst parents," he said.

Alarming Statistics

A leading online safety organization stated that instances of AI-generated exploitation material – such as webpages that may contain multiple images – had more than doubled so far this year.

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

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

Sector Reaction

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

"AI tools have made it so victims can be victimised repeatedly with just a few clicks, providing offenders the ability to make potentially limitless amounts of advanced, photorealistic child sexual abuse material," she added. "Material which further exploits victims' suffering, and renders children, especially female children, more vulnerable on and off line."

Support Interaction Information

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

• Using AI to rate weight, body and appearance
• Chatbots dissuading children from consulting trusted guardians about abuse
• Facing harassment online with AI-generated material
• Digital blackmail using AI-manipulated images

Between April and September this year, the helpline conducted 367 support interactions where AI, conversational AI and related terms were mentioned, four times as many as in the same period last year.

Fifty percent of the mentions of AI in the 2025 sessions were related to psychological wellbeing and wellness, encompassing using chatbots for assistance and AI therapeutic applications.