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Technology companies and child safety organizations will be granted permission to evaluate whether AI systems can generate child abuse images under recently introduced British laws.

Substantial Rise in AI-Generated Illegal Material

The declaration 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, rising from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

Updated Legal Structure

Under the changes, the government will allow designated AI companies and child safety organizations to examine AI systems – the underlying technology for conversational AI and visual AI tools – and ensure they have adequate safeguards to stop them from producing depictions of child exploitation.

"Ultimately about preventing abuse before it happens," declared Kanishka Narayan, adding: "Experts, under strict conditions, can now identify the risk in AI systems early."

Tackling Legal Challenges

The amendments have been implemented because it is illegal to produce and possess CSAM, meaning that AI developers and other parties cannot generate such images as part of a testing process. Previously, officials had to wait until AI-generated CSAM was published online before addressing it.

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

Legal Framework

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 sharing AI models developed to create exploitative content.

Real-World Impact

This week, the minister toured the London base of Childline and listened to a simulated call to advisors involving a report of AI-based abuse. The interaction depicted a teenager seeking help after facing extortion using a explicit AI-generated image of himself, constructed using AI.

"When I learn about young people facing blackmail online, it is a source of extreme anger in me and justified concern amongst parents," he stated.

Concerning Statistics

A prominent internet monitoring organization reported that cases of AI-generated exploitation material – such as webpages that may contain multiple images – had significantly increased so far this year.

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

• Girls were overwhelmingly targeted, accounting for 94% of prohibited AI images in 2025
• Portrayals of newborns to toddlers increased from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Industry Response

The law change could "represent a crucial step to ensure AI products are secure before they are launched," commented the head of the online safety organization.

"AI tools have made it so survivors can be targeted repeatedly with just a simple actions, giving criminals the capability to make possibly endless amounts of advanced, photorealistic child sexual abuse material," she continued. "Material which additionally exploits victims' trauma, and makes young people, particularly girls, more vulnerable both online and offline."

Support Session Information

Childline also released details of support sessions where AI has been referenced. AI-related harms mentioned in the sessions comprise:

• Using AI to rate body size, body and appearance
• AI assistants dissuading children from consulting trusted guardians about abuse
• Being bullied online with AI-generated content
• Online blackmail using AI-faked pictures

Between April and September this year, the helpline delivered 367 counselling sessions where AI, conversational AI and associated terms were discussed, significantly more as many as in the equivalent timeframe last year.

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