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Technology companies and child protection agencies will receive authority to assess whether AI tools can generate child exploitation material under new British legislation.

Significant Increase in AI-Generated Harmful Material

The declaration 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 Legal Framework

Under the amendments, the authorities will allow designated AI companies and child safety groups to examine AI systems – the underlying systems for conversational AI and visual AI tools – and ensure they have adequate protective measures to stop them from producing images of child exploitation.

"Fundamentally about stopping abuse before it happens," stated the minister for AI and online safety, noting: "Experts, under strict protocols, can now identify the danger in AI models promptly."

Tackling Regulatory Obstacles

The amendments have been implemented because it is illegal to produce and own CSAM, meaning that AI creators and others cannot generate such images as part of a testing regime. Previously, authorities had to wait until AI-generated CSAM was uploaded online before dealing with it.

This law is aimed at preventing that problem by helping to halt the production of those images at source.

Legislative Framework

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

Real-World Impact

This week, the minister toured the London base of a children's helpline and listened to a simulated call to advisors featuring a report of AI-based abuse. The interaction depicted a adolescent seeking help after facing extortion using a explicit AI-generated image of themselves, created using AI.

"When I learn about young people facing extortion online, it is a source of intense anger in me and rightful anger amongst parents," he said.

Concerning Data

A prominent online safety foundation stated that instances of AI-generated abuse content – such as webpages that may include multiple images – had significantly increased so far this year.

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

• Girls were predominantly targeted, making up 94% of illegal AI images in 2025
• Portrayals of newborns to two-year-olds rose from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Industry Response

The law change could "represent a vital step to ensure AI products are safe before they are launched," commented the chief executive of the internet monitoring organization.

"AI tools have made it so victims can be victimised all over again with just a simple actions, providing criminals the capability to create possibly limitless amounts of sophisticated, photorealistic exploitative content," she continued. "Content which further exploits victims' trauma, and renders children, especially girls, less safe on and off line."

Counseling Interaction Information

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

• Employing AI to rate body size, body and looks
• AI assistants discouraging young people from consulting safe guardians about harm
• Being bullied online with AI-generated material
• Online blackmail using AI-manipulated pictures

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

Fifty percent of the references of AI in the 2025 sessions were related to psychological wellbeing and wellness, encompassing utilizing AI assistants for assistance and AI therapeutic apps.