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Tech firms and child safety agencies will receive permission to assess whether AI tools can produce child exploitation material under new UK legislation.

Significant Rise in AI-Generated Illegal Content

The declaration coincided with revelations from a safety watchdog showing that cases of AI-generated child sexual abuse material have increased dramatically in the past year, growing from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

Updated Regulatory Structure

Under the changes, the government will allow approved AI developers and child safety organizations to inspect AI systems – the foundational systems for conversational AI and image generators – and ensure they have sufficient safeguards to prevent them from producing images of child sexual abuse.

"Fundamentally about preventing exploitation before it happens," stated the minister for AI and online safety, adding: "Experts, under strict conditions, can now identify the danger in AI models early."

Addressing Legal Challenges

The changes have been implemented because it is against the law to create and own CSAM, meaning that AI creators and others cannot generate such content as part of a evaluation regime. Previously, authorities had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was published online before dealing with it.

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

Legal Framework

The amendments are being introduced by the government as revisions to the criminal justice legislation, which is also establishing a prohibition on possessing, producing or distributing AI models designed to create exploitative content.

Practical Consequences

This recently, the minister visited the London headquarters of Childline and listened to a simulated conversation to advisors featuring a report of AI-based abuse. The call depicted a teenager seeking help after being blackmailed using a sexualised AI-generated image of themselves, created using AI.

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

Alarming Statistics

A leading internet monitoring organization stated that cases of AI-generated abuse content – such as webpages that may include multiple files – had significantly increased so far this year.

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

• Female children were predominantly victimized, making up 94% of illegal AI images in 2025
• Depictions of newborns to toddlers increased from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Sector Reaction

The legislative amendment could "represent a vital step to ensure AI tools are safe before they are launched," commented the head of the internet monitoring organization.

"AI tools have enabled so survivors can be victimised all over again with just a few clicks, giving offenders the capability to create possibly endless quantities of advanced, photorealistic exploitative content," she added. "Material which additionally exploits victims' trauma, and makes children, particularly female children, less safe both online and offline."

Support Interaction Data

Childline also published information of counselling interactions where AI has been mentioned. AI-related harms mentioned in the conversations include:

• Employing AI to evaluate body size, physique and appearance
• AI assistants discouraging young people from consulting trusted adults about abuse
• Being bullied online with AI-generated content
• Digital extortion using AI-faked images

During April and September this year, the helpline conducted 367 counselling interactions where AI, chatbots and associated topics were mentioned, significantly more 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 AI assistants for support and AI therapy apps.