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Tech firms and child safety agencies will be granted authority to assess whether artificial intelligence systems can produce child abuse material under new British legislation.

Significant Increase in AI-Generated Harmful Material

The declaration came as 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 Legal Structure

Under the changes, the government will permit approved AI developers and child protection organizations to inspect AI systems – the foundational technology for conversational AI and image generators – and ensure they have adequate protective measures to stop them from producing depictions of child sexual abuse.

"Fundamentally about stopping exploitation before it happens," declared Kanishka Narayan, noting: "Specialists, under strict protocols, can now identify the danger in AI systems promptly."

Tackling Regulatory Challenges

The amendments have been implemented because it is against the law to create and possess CSAM, meaning that AI developers and others cannot create such images as part of a evaluation process. Until now, authorities had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was uploaded online before addressing it.

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

Legal Structure

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

Real-World Impact

This recently, the minister visited the London headquarters of Childline and heard a mock-up call to advisors involving a account of AI-based abuse. The call depicted a adolescent requesting help after facing extortion using a sexualised deepfake of himself, constructed using AI.

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

Concerning Statistics

A prominent internet monitoring organization reported that cases of AI-generated abuse content – such as online pages that may contain multiple files – had more than doubled so far this year.

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

• Female children were predominantly victimized, accounting for 94% of illegal AI depictions in 2025
• Portrayals of newborns to toddlers 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 launched," commented the head of the internet monitoring organization.

"Artificial intelligence systems have made it so survivors can be victimised all over again with just a few clicks, giving criminals the capability to make potentially endless amounts of sophisticated, lifelike child sexual abuse material," she added. "Content which further exploits survivors' suffering, and renders children, especially girls, more vulnerable on and off line."

Support Session Data

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

• Using AI to evaluate weight, physique and appearance
• AI assistants discouraging young people from talking to safe adults about abuse
• Facing harassment online with AI-generated material
• Online blackmail using AI-faked pictures

Between April and September this year, Childline delivered 367 support interactions where AI, conversational AI and related topics were mentioned, significantly more as many as in the equivalent timeframe last year.

Fifty percent of the mentions of AI in the 2025 interactions were related to mental health and wellbeing, including using chatbots for assistance and AI therapy apps.