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

Substantial Increase in AI-Generated Harmful Content

The announcement came as findings from a safety watchdog showing that reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse material have more than doubled in the last twelve months, rising from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

New Regulatory Structure

Under the amendments, the government will permit designated AI developers and child protection groups to examine AI models – the foundational systems for conversational AI and visual AI tools – and verify they have adequate protective measures to stop them from creating images of child sexual abuse.

"Ultimately about stopping exploitation before it happens," stated Kanishka Narayan, noting: "Specialists, under rigorous protocols, can now detect the danger in AI models promptly."

Tackling Regulatory 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 content as part of a evaluation process. Until now, officials had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was uploaded online before addressing it.

This law is designed to preventing that issue by enabling to stop the creation of those images at their origin.

Legislative Framework

The amendments are being introduced by the government as revisions to the crime and policing bill, which is also establishing a prohibition on owning, creating or sharing AI systems designed to create child sexual abuse material.

Real-World Consequences

This week, the minister visited the London base of Childline and listened to a mock-up conversation to advisors featuring a report of AI-based abuse. The interaction depicted a adolescent requesting help after facing extortion using a explicit AI-generated image of themselves, constructed using AI.

"When I hear about children facing blackmail online, it is a cause of extreme frustration in me and rightful anger amongst families," he said.

Alarming Statistics

A prominent internet monitoring organization stated that instances of AI-generated exploitation content – such as online pages that may include multiple files – had more than doubled so far this year.

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

• Female children were predominantly victimized, accounting for 94% of prohibited AI images in 2025
• Depictions of newborns to two-year-olds increased from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Sector Response

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

"AI tools have made it so survivors can be victimised all over again with just a simple actions, providing criminals the ability to make possibly endless quantities of sophisticated, photorealistic exploitative content," she continued. "Content which additionally commodifies victims' suffering, and renders young people, especially female children, less safe both online and offline."

Support Session Information

The children's helpline also released information of counselling interactions where AI has been referenced. AI-related harms discussed in the sessions comprise:

• Using AI to rate weight, physique and looks
• AI assistants discouraging young people from consulting trusted guardians about harm
• Being bullied online with AI-generated material
• Digital extortion using AI-manipulated images

Between April and September this year, the helpline delivered 367 counselling interactions where AI, chatbots and associated terms were mentioned, four times as many as in the equivalent timeframe last year.

Fifty percent of the references of AI in the 2025 sessions were related to psychological wellbeing and wellbeing, encompassing using AI assistants for support and AI therapy apps.