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Tech firms and child safety agencies will receive authority to evaluate whether AI tools can produce child exploitation material under recently introduced UK laws.

Substantial Increase in AI-Generated Illegal Content

The declaration coincided with findings from a safety watchdog showing that reports of AI-generated CSAM have more than doubled in the last twelve months, growing from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

Updated Regulatory Structure

Under the amendments, the authorities will permit designated AI companies and child safety organizations to examine AI systems – the foundational systems for conversational AI and image generators – and verify they have adequate protective measures to prevent them from producing images of child sexual abuse.

"Fundamentally about stopping abuse before it occurs," declared the minister for AI and online safety, noting: "Experts, under strict protocols, can now identify the danger in AI models early."

Tackling Legal Challenges

The amendments have been introduced because it is illegal to produce and possess CSAM, meaning that AI developers and other parties cannot generate such content as part of a evaluation regime. Previously, authorities had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was published online before dealing with it.

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

Legislative Framework

The changes are being introduced by the government as revisions to the crime and policing bill, which is also establishing a ban on possessing, producing or distributing AI models developed to generate child sexual abuse material.

Real-World Consequences

This week, the official visited the London base of Childline and listened to a simulated call to counsellors featuring a report of AI-based abuse. The interaction portrayed a teenager seeking help after being blackmailed using a explicit deepfake of himself, constructed using AI.

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

Concerning Data

A leading internet monitoring foundation reported that cases of AI-generated abuse material – such as webpages that may contain multiple files – had significantly increased so far this year.

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

• Girls were predominantly targeted, accounting for 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 ensure AI products are secure before they are launched," stated the chief executive of the internet monitoring foundation.

"AI tools have made it so victims can be victimised all over again with just a simple actions, providing offenders the capability to make potentially limitless amounts of advanced, photorealistic child sexual abuse material," she added. "Material which additionally commodifies victims' trauma, and renders children, particularly female children, less safe on and off line."

Counseling Session Information

Childline also published information of support interactions where AI has been referenced. AI-related harms mentioned in the conversations include:

• Using AI to evaluate weight, body and looks
• Chatbots dissuading young people from talking to 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 conducted 367 support sessions where AI, conversational AI and related topics were mentioned, significantly more as many as in the same period last year.

Half of the mentions of AI in the 2025 sessions were connected with psychological wellbeing and wellbeing, encompassing utilizing AI assistants for assistance and AI therapeutic applications.