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Tech firms and child safety agencies will be granted authority to evaluate whether AI tools can generate child exploitation material under new UK laws.

Significant Increase in AI-Generated Harmful Material

The announcement coincided with findings from a safety watchdog showing that reports of AI-generated CSAM have increased dramatically in the last twelve months, growing from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

Updated Legal Framework

Under the changes, the government will permit approved AI developers and child safety organizations to examine AI models – the foundational systems for conversational AI and image generators – and ensure they have sufficient safeguards to stop them from creating images of child sexual abuse.

"Ultimately about stopping abuse before it happens," declared the minister for AI and online safety, noting: "Experts, under strict conditions, can now detect the danger in AI systems early."

Addressing Legal Challenges

The changes have been introduced because it is against the law to produce and own CSAM, meaning that AI developers and others cannot create such content as part of a testing regime. Until now, officials had to wait until AI-generated CSAM was uploaded online before dealing with it.

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

Legal Framework

The changes are being added by the government as revisions to the criminal justice legislation, which is also implementing a ban on owning, producing or sharing AI systems developed to generate exploitative content.

Real-World Consequences

This week, the official toured the London headquarters of a children's helpline and heard a mock-up conversation to advisors featuring a report of AI-based abuse. The interaction portrayed a adolescent seeking help after facing extortion using a sexualised AI-generated image of himself, created using AI.

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

Alarming Statistics

A leading online safety organization reported that instances of AI-generated exploitation content – such as online pages that may include multiple images – had significantly increased so far this year.

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

• Female children were predominantly targeted, making up 94% of illegal AI images in 2025
• Portrayals of infants to toddlers rose from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Industry Reaction

The law change could "constitute a crucial step to ensure AI products are safe before they are launched," commented the chief executive of the online safety organization.

"Artificial intelligence systems have enabled so survivors can be victimised all over again with just a simple actions, giving criminals the ability to make possibly limitless amounts of sophisticated, photorealistic child sexual abuse material," she added. "Material which additionally commodifies victims' suffering, and renders young people, especially female children, more vulnerable on and off line."

Support Interaction Data

The children's helpline also published details of support interactions where AI has been mentioned. AI-related harms discussed in the conversations include:

• Employing AI to evaluate weight, body and appearance
• Chatbots dissuading children from talking to trusted guardians about harm
• Being bullied online with AI-generated material
• Digital extortion using AI-faked pictures

During April and September this year, the helpline conducted 367 counselling sessions where AI, conversational AI and related topics were discussed, four times as many as in the equivalent timeframe last year.

Half of the mentions of AI in the 2025 interactions were connected with mental health and wellbeing, encompassing utilizing AI assistants for support and AI therapy apps.