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Tech firms and child safety agencies will be granted authority to assess whether artificial intelligence tools can generate child abuse material under new UK legislation.

Substantial Rise in AI-Generated Harmful Material

The declaration came as revelations from a protection 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 Legal Structure

Under the amendments, the government will allow approved AI developers and child protection groups to inspect AI systems – the foundational technology for conversational AI and image generators – and verify they have adequate safeguards to stop them from producing depictions of child sexual abuse.

"Ultimately about preventing exploitation before it occurs," declared the minister for AI and online safety, adding: "Specialists, under rigorous conditions, can now identify the danger in AI systems early."

Addressing Legal Challenges

The amendments have been introduced 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 process. Until now, authorities had to wait until AI-generated CSAM was published online before addressing it.

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

Legislative Framework

The changes are being added by the authorities as modifications to the criminal justice legislation, which is also implementing a ban on owning, producing or sharing AI systems designed to generate child sexual abuse material.

Real-World Impact

This week, the minister visited the London headquarters of Childline and heard a simulated call to counsellors involving a account of AI-based exploitation. The call portrayed a adolescent requesting help after facing extortion using a sexualised deepfake of themselves, constructed using AI.

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

Concerning Data

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

Cases of category A content – the most serious form of abuse – increased from 2,621 visual files to 3,086.

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

Sector Response

The law change could "represent a vital step to ensure AI tools are secure before they are released," stated the chief executive of the internet monitoring organization.

"Artificial intelligence systems have made it so victims can be victimised repeatedly with just a few clicks, giving criminals the capability to make possibly endless amounts of sophisticated, lifelike exploitative content," she added. "Material which further commodifies survivors' trauma, and makes children, particularly female children, more vulnerable on and off line."

Counseling Interaction Information

The children's helpline also released information of counselling sessions where AI has been mentioned. AI-related harms mentioned in the sessions comprise:

• Using AI to rate weight, physique and appearance
• Chatbots discouraging young people from talking to safe guardians about abuse
• Facing harassment online with AI-generated material
• Online blackmail using AI-faked images

Between April and September this year, the helpline conducted 367 support sessions where AI, conversational AI and associated topics were discussed, four times as many as in the same period last year.

Half of the references of AI in the 2025 interactions were connected with psychological wellbeing and wellbeing, encompassing using chatbots for assistance and AI therapeutic applications.