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Tech firms and child protection agencies will be granted permission to assess whether artificial intelligence systems can produce child exploitation images under recently introduced British laws.

Significant Increase in AI-Generated Harmful Material

The announcement came as revelations from a protection monitoring body showing that reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse material have increased dramatically in the last twelve months, rising from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

Updated Regulatory Structure

Under the changes, the authorities will allow designated AI companies and child protection organizations to inspect AI models – the foundational systems for conversational AI and visual AI tools – and verify they have sufficient safeguards to stop them from creating images of child sexual abuse.

"Ultimately about preventing abuse before it occurs," stated Kanishka Narayan, adding: "Experts, under strict protocols, can now detect the risk in AI systems early."

Addressing Legal Obstacles

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

This law is aimed at preventing that issue by helping to stop the creation of those materials at their origin.

Legal Structure

The amendments are being added by the government as revisions to the criminal justice legislation, which is also implementing a prohibition on owning, producing or distributing AI models developed to create exploitative content.

Practical Consequences

This week, the minister visited the London headquarters of a children's helpline and heard a simulated conversation to advisors involving a account of AI-based exploitation. The interaction depicted a teenager seeking help after facing extortion using a explicit deepfake of themselves, constructed using AI.

"When I learn about children facing extortion online, it is a source of extreme frustration in me and justified concern amongst parents," he stated.

Concerning Statistics

A leading internet monitoring organization stated that cases of AI-generated exploitation material – such as online pages that may include numerous files – had more than doubled so far this year.

Instances of category A content – the most serious form of exploitation – rose from 2,621 visual files to 3,086.

• Girls were overwhelmingly targeted, making up 94% of prohibited AI depictions in 2025
• Depictions of infants to toddlers rose from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Industry Response

The law change could "constitute a crucial step to ensure AI tools are safe before they are released," commented the head of the internet monitoring foundation.

"AI tools have made it so victims can be victimised all over again with just a few clicks, providing criminals the ability to create potentially limitless amounts of sophisticated, lifelike exploitative content," she continued. "Content which further commodifies survivors' trauma, and makes young people, particularly girls, less safe both online and offline."

Counseling Session Information

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

• Employing AI to evaluate weight, body and appearance
• AI assistants discouraging young people from talking to trusted guardians about harm
• Being bullied online with AI-generated material
• Digital extortion using AI-faked images

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

Half of the mentions of AI in the 2025 sessions were connected with mental health and wellbeing, including utilizing chatbots for assistance and AI therapeutic applications.