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Technology companies and child safety organizations will receive authority to assess whether artificial intelligence tools can generate child abuse material under new UK legislation.

Substantial Rise in AI-Generated Harmful Content

The announcement coincided with revelations from a safety monitoring body showing that cases of AI-generated CSAM have increased dramatically in the last twelve months, rising from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

Updated Legal Framework

Under the amendments, the government will allow designated AI developers and child protection groups to inspect AI systems – the foundational systems for conversational AI and visual AI tools – and verify they have adequate protective measures to prevent them from producing depictions of child exploitation.

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

Tackling Regulatory Challenges

The amendments have been implemented because it is illegal to produce and own CSAM, meaning that AI developers and other parties cannot create such content as part of a testing regime. Previously, officials had to wait until AI-generated CSAM was published online before dealing with it.

This legislation is aimed at averting that problem by helping to stop the creation of those materials at their origin.

Legal Framework

The amendments are being added by the authorities as modifications to the crime and policing bill, which is also implementing a ban on possessing, producing or sharing AI models developed to generate exploitative content.

Practical Impact

This recently, the minister toured the London headquarters of Childline and listened to a simulated conversation to advisors involving a report of AI-based abuse. The call depicted a teenager seeking help after being blackmailed using a explicit deepfake of themselves, constructed using AI.

"When I hear about young people facing extortion online, it is a cause of intense frustration in me and justified concern amongst families," he stated.

Concerning Data

A leading online safety organization stated that cases of AI-generated abuse material – such as webpages that may include numerous images – had significantly increased so far this year.

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

• Female children were predominantly victimized, making up 94% of prohibited AI depictions in 2025
• Depictions of infants to two-year-olds rose from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Industry Reaction

The law change could "represent a crucial step to guarantee AI products are safe before they are released," commented the chief executive of the online safety foundation.

"Artificial intelligence systems have enabled so victims can be targeted repeatedly with just a few clicks, providing criminals the ability to make possibly limitless amounts of advanced, photorealistic exploitative content," she added. "Content which additionally commodifies survivors' suffering, and makes young people, especially girls, less safe on and off line."

Support Interaction Data

Childline also released details of counselling sessions where AI has been referenced. AI-related risks mentioned in the conversations include:

• Using AI to rate weight, physique and looks
• AI assistants dissuading young people from talking to safe guardians about abuse
• Facing harassment online with AI-generated material
• Online extortion using AI-faked images

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

Fifty percent of the references of AI in the 2025 sessions were related to mental health and wellness, including using chatbots for support and AI therapeutic applications.