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Tech firms and child protection organizations will receive permission to evaluate whether AI systems can generate child abuse material under new UK laws.

Substantial Increase in AI-Generated Illegal Content

The announcement came as revelations from a safety watchdog showing that cases of AI-generated child sexual abuse material have more than doubled in the past year, growing from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

Updated Regulatory Structure

Under the changes, the government will allow designated AI companies and child safety groups to inspect AI models – the underlying technology for chatbots and image generators – and verify they have adequate safeguards to prevent them from creating depictions of child sexual abuse.

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

Addressing Legal Obstacles

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

This law is designed to preventing that problem by helping to stop the creation of those materials at their origin.

Legislative Structure

The amendments are being added by the authorities as revisions to the criminal justice legislation, which is also implementing a ban on possessing, creating or distributing AI systems designed to generate exploitative content.

Practical Consequences

This recently, the minister toured the London base of Childline and listened to a mock-up call to advisors featuring a report of AI-based abuse. The interaction depicted a adolescent requesting help after facing extortion using a sexualised deepfake of themselves, constructed using AI.

"When I hear about young people experiencing blackmail online, it is a source of extreme frustration in me and rightful anger amongst parents," he said.

Concerning Data

A prominent online safety organization reported that cases of AI-generated exploitation material – such as online pages that may include numerous files – had significantly increased 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 overwhelmingly targeted, accounting for 94% of prohibited AI depictions in 2025
• Depictions of newborns to toddlers rose from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Industry Response

The legislative amendment could "represent a crucial step to ensure AI products are safe before they are released," stated the chief executive of the online safety foundation.

"Artificial intelligence systems have enabled so survivors can be victimised all over again with just a few clicks, giving criminals the ability to make possibly limitless quantities of advanced, lifelike exploitative content," she continued. "Content which further commodifies victims' suffering, and makes children, particularly girls, more vulnerable both online and offline."

Support Interaction Information

Childline also published details of counselling sessions where AI has been referenced. AI-related risks mentioned in the sessions include:

• Employing AI to evaluate weight, body and appearance
• Chatbots discouraging children from talking to trusted adults about harm
• Facing harassment online with AI-generated content
• Online blackmail using AI-manipulated pictures

During April and September this year, Childline conducted 367 counselling sessions where AI, chatbots and associated terms were mentioned, four times as many as in the equivalent timeframe last year.

Fifty percent of the mentions of AI in the 2025 interactions were related to mental health and wellbeing, including utilizing chatbots for support and AI therapeutic apps.