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Technology companies and child safety organizations will receive permission to evaluate whether AI tools can produce child exploitation material under recently introduced UK legislation.

Substantial Rise in AI-Generated Harmful Material

The announcement coincided with findings from a protection monitoring body 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 Regulatory Structure

Under the changes, the government will allow approved AI developers and child protection organizations to examine AI models – the foundational systems for conversational AI and image generators – and ensure they have sufficient protective measures to prevent them from producing depictions of child sexual abuse.

"Fundamentally about preventing abuse before it occurs," stated the minister for AI and online safety, noting: "Experts, under rigorous protocols, can now identify the danger in AI models early."

Addressing Regulatory Challenges

The changes have been introduced because it is illegal to produce and possess CSAM, meaning that AI creators and other parties cannot generate such content as part of a evaluation regime. Until now, officials had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was published online before addressing it.

This law is aimed at averting that problem by helping to stop the production of those images at source.

Legal Structure

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

Practical Consequences

This recently, the minister toured the London base of Childline and listened to a simulated conversation to advisors involving a report of AI-based exploitation. The call portrayed a teenager requesting help after being blackmailed using a explicit AI-generated image of himself, created using AI.

"When I learn about children experiencing extortion online, it is a cause of extreme anger in me and justified anger amongst families," he said.

Alarming Data

A prominent online safety organization stated that instances of AI-generated exploitation content – such as webpages that may contain multiple files – had more than doubled so far this year.

Cases of category A material – the most serious form of exploitation – increased from 2,621 images or videos to 3,086.

• Female children were overwhelmingly victimized, making up 94% of illegal AI images in 2025
• Depictions of newborns to two-year-olds increased from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Industry Reaction

The legislative amendment could "constitute a crucial step to guarantee AI products are secure before they are released," commented the head of the online safety foundation.

"AI tools have made it so survivors can be targeted all over again with just a simple actions, providing offenders the ability to make possibly endless quantities of sophisticated, photorealistic exploitative content," she continued. "Content which additionally commodifies victims' suffering, and renders children, especially girls, more vulnerable both online and offline."

Support Session Data

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

• Using AI to evaluate body size, body and appearance
• AI assistants discouraging young people from consulting safe guardians about abuse
• Being bullied online with AI-generated material
• Digital blackmail using AI-faked images

Between April and September this year, Childline conducted 367 support interactions where AI, chatbots and related terms were mentioned, significantly more as many as in the equivalent timeframe last year.

Fifty percent of the mentions of AI in the 2025 sessions were connected with mental health and wellbeing, encompassing using chatbots for assistance and AI therapeutic apps.