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Tech firms and child safety organizations will receive permission to evaluate whether AI tools can generate child exploitation material under recently introduced UK laws.

Substantial Increase in AI-Generated Harmful Content

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

Updated Legal Framework

Under the changes, the government will allow designated AI developers and child safety organizations to inspect AI systems – the underlying technology for chatbots and image generators – and verify they have adequate protective measures to prevent them from producing images of child exploitation.

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

Tackling Regulatory Obstacles

The amendments have been implemented because it is against the law to create and possess CSAM, meaning that AI creators and other parties cannot generate such content as part of a evaluation process. Until now, officials had to wait until AI-generated CSAM was uploaded online before addressing it.

This legislation is aimed at averting that problem by enabling to halt the creation of those images at source.

Legislative Structure

The amendments are being introduced by the government as revisions to the crime and policing bill, which is also implementing a prohibition on possessing, producing or distributing AI systems designed to create child sexual abuse material.

Real-World Impact

This week, the official visited the London headquarters of a children's helpline and listened to a simulated call to advisors involving a report of AI-based exploitation. The interaction portrayed a teenager requesting help after being blackmailed using a sexualised deepfake of himself, created using AI.

"When I hear about children facing blackmail online, it is a cause of intense anger in me and justified anger amongst families," he stated.

Alarming Statistics

A leading online safety organization stated that instances of AI-generated exploitation content – such as webpages that may include numerous images – had more than doubled so far this year.

Instances of the most severe content – the gravest form of exploitation – rose from 2,621 visual files to 3,086.

• Girls were predominantly targeted, accounting for 94% of illegal AI depictions in 2025
• Depictions of newborns to two-year-olds rose from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Sector Reaction

The law change could "represent a crucial step to ensure AI products are safe before they are launched," stated the head of the internet monitoring foundation.

"AI tools have made it so victims can be victimised repeatedly with just a few clicks, giving offenders the ability to create potentially endless amounts of advanced, lifelike exploitative content," she added. "Content which additionally commodifies survivors' suffering, and renders children, especially female children, less safe on and off line."

Support Session Information

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

• Using AI to rate body size, physique and appearance
• Chatbots dissuading children from talking to trusted adults about harm
• Facing harassment online with AI-generated material
• Online extortion using AI-manipulated images

During April and September this year, Childline conducted 367 counselling sessions where AI, chatbots and associated topics were discussed, four times as many as in the same period last year.

Half of the mentions of AI in the 2025 interactions were related to mental health and wellness, encompassing using chatbots for assistance and AI therapeutic applications.