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Tech firms and child safety agencies will be granted authority to evaluate whether AI systems can produce child abuse images under recently introduced British legislation.

Substantial Rise in AI-Generated Harmful Material

The announcement coincided with revelations from a safety monitoring body showing that reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse material have more than doubled in the past year, growing from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

New Regulatory Structure

Under the changes, the government will permit designated AI companies and child protection organizations to inspect AI models – the foundational technology for conversational AI and image generators – and verify they have sufficient safeguards to prevent them from producing depictions of child exploitation.

"Ultimately about preventing exploitation before it occurs," declared Kanishka Narayan, adding: "Experts, under strict conditions, can now identify the risk in AI models promptly."

Addressing Regulatory Obstacles

The amendments have been implemented because it is against the law to produce and possess CSAM, meaning that AI developers and other parties cannot create such images as part of a testing process. Until now, authorities had to wait until AI-generated CSAM was published online before addressing it.

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

Legislative Framework

The changes are being introduced by the authorities as modifications to the criminal justice legislation, which is also establishing a prohibition on possessing, producing or sharing AI systems developed to generate exploitative content.

Real-World Consequences

This week, the minister toured the London headquarters of a children's helpline and listened to a simulated conversation to counsellors involving a report of AI-based abuse. The call portrayed a adolescent requesting help after facing extortion using a sexualised AI-generated image of themselves, constructed using AI.

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

Concerning Data

A leading online safety foundation stated that cases of AI-generated abuse content – such as online pages that may include numerous files – had significantly increased so far this year.

Instances of the most severe content – the gravest form of exploitation – increased from 2,621 images or videos to 3,086.

• Female children were overwhelmingly targeted, making up 94% of illegal AI depictions in 2025
• Depictions of newborns to toddlers rose from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Sector Reaction

The law change could "constitute a vital step to ensure AI tools are safe before they are launched," commented the chief executive of the online safety organization.

"AI tools have enabled so victims can be targeted all over again with just a few clicks, giving offenders the ability to create potentially limitless quantities of sophisticated, photorealistic child sexual abuse material," she added. "Content which further exploits victims' trauma, and renders children, especially girls, more vulnerable both online and offline."

Counseling Session Data

The children's helpline also published information of counselling sessions where AI has been referenced. AI-related risks mentioned in the conversations include:

• Using AI to rate weight, body and looks
• Chatbots discouraging children from consulting trusted adults about harm
• Being bullied online with AI-generated material
• Online extortion using AI-manipulated pictures

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

Half of the references of AI in the 2025 sessions were connected with psychological wellbeing and wellness, encompassing using AI assistants for assistance and AI therapeutic apps.