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Tech firms and child protection agencies will be granted permission to assess whether AI tools can produce child exploitation material under recently introduced UK laws.

Substantial Increase in AI-Generated Illegal Material

The announcement coincided with findings from a protection monitoring body showing that reports of AI-generated CSAM have increased dramatically in the past year, rising from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

New Regulatory Structure

Under the changes, the authorities will permit designated AI developers and child safety groups to inspect AI models – the underlying technology for conversational AI and image generators – and ensure they have adequate safeguards to prevent them from creating images of child sexual abuse.

"Ultimately about stopping exploitation before it occurs," stated the minister for AI and online safety, adding: "Specialists, under strict protocols, can now identify the risk in AI models promptly."

Addressing Regulatory Obstacles

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

This legislation is designed to averting that issue by enabling to halt the production of those materials at their origin.

Legislative Structure

The changes are being introduced by the government as modifications to the criminal justice legislation, which is also establishing a prohibition on possessing, creating or distributing AI models designed to generate exploitative content.

Practical Impact

This recently, the official visited the London base of a children's helpline and listened to a mock-up call to counsellors featuring a account of AI-based exploitation. The call portrayed a teenager seeking help after facing extortion using a explicit deepfake of themselves, created using AI.

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

Concerning Statistics

A prominent online safety organization reported that instances of AI-generated abuse material – such as online pages that may include numerous files – had significantly increased so far this year.

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

• Female children were overwhelmingly targeted, accounting for 94% of prohibited AI depictions in 2025
• Portrayals of infants to two-year-olds increased from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Industry Response

The legislative amendment could "constitute a vital step to guarantee AI tools are secure before they are launched," stated the chief executive of the internet monitoring organization.

"Artificial intelligence systems have enabled so victims can be victimised all over again with just a simple actions, giving offenders the capability to create possibly endless amounts of advanced, lifelike child sexual abuse material," she added. "Material which further exploits victims' suffering, and renders young people, particularly female children, less safe both online and offline."

Counseling Session Information

Childline also released information of support sessions where AI has been mentioned. AI-related harms mentioned in the conversations include:

• Employing AI to rate weight, body and appearance
• Chatbots dissuading young people from consulting safe adults about abuse
• Facing harassment online with AI-generated content
• Digital extortion using AI-faked pictures

During April and September this year, the helpline conducted 367 counselling sessions where AI, conversational AI and associated topics were discussed, four times as many as in the equivalent timeframe last year.

Fifty percent of the references of AI in the 2025 sessions were connected with psychological wellbeing and wellbeing, including utilizing chatbots for support and AI therapeutic apps.