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Technology companies and child safety agencies will receive permission to evaluate whether AI tools can produce child abuse images under recently introduced British legislation.

Substantial Increase in AI-Generated Illegal Material

The declaration came as findings from a protection monitoring body showing that cases of AI-generated CSAM have more than doubled in the last twelve months, growing from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

Updated Regulatory Structure

Under the changes, the authorities will allow designated AI developers and child safety groups to inspect AI systems – the underlying systems for conversational AI and visual AI tools – and verify they have sufficient protective measures to prevent them from producing depictions of child exploitation.

"Ultimately about preventing abuse before it happens," stated Kanishka Narayan, noting: "Specialists, under rigorous conditions, can now identify the risk in AI systems early."

Tackling Legal Obstacles

The amendments have been introduced because it is against the law to create and possess CSAM, meaning that AI creators and other parties cannot generate such content as part of a evaluation process. Until now, officials had to wait until AI-generated CSAM was uploaded online before addressing it.

This law is aimed at averting that problem by enabling to halt the creation of those materials at source.

Legal Framework

The changes are being introduced by the authorities as revisions to the crime and policing bill, which is also implementing a ban on possessing, producing or distributing AI systems designed to create exploitative content.

Real-World Impact

This week, the official toured the London base of Childline and listened to a mock-up conversation to counsellors featuring a account of AI-based exploitation. The interaction depicted a teenager seeking help after facing extortion using a explicit AI-generated image of himself, created using AI.

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

Alarming Data

A leading online safety organization stated that cases of AI-generated abuse content – such as online pages that may include multiple images – had more than doubled so far this year.

Cases of the most severe content – the most serious form of abuse – rose from 2,621 visual files to 3,086.

• Female children were overwhelmingly victimized, accounting for 94% of prohibited AI depictions in 2025
• Portrayals of newborns to two-year-olds rose from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Industry Reaction

The legislative amendment could "represent a vital step to guarantee AI tools are secure before they are released," commented the head of the internet monitoring organization.

"AI tools have enabled so victims can be targeted repeatedly with just a few clicks, giving criminals the ability to make potentially limitless quantities of sophisticated, photorealistic exploitative content," she added. "Content which additionally exploits victims' suffering, and makes young people, particularly girls, more vulnerable on and off line."

Counseling Session Information

Childline also published details of support sessions where AI has been mentioned. AI-related risks discussed in the conversations include:

• Using AI to rate body size, body and appearance
• AI assistants discouraging children from talking to trusted guardians about harm
• Facing harassment online with AI-generated material
• Digital blackmail using AI-faked images

During April and September this year, the helpline conducted 367 support sessions where AI, chatbots and associated terms were mentioned, significantly more 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 wellness, encompassing using chatbots for support and AI therapy apps.