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Technology companies and child protection organizations will receive permission to assess whether AI tools can produce child exploitation material under recently introduced UK laws.

Significant Rise in AI-Generated Harmful Content

The declaration coincided with findings from a protection watchdog showing that reports of AI-generated CSAM have increased dramatically in the past year, growing from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

Updated Regulatory Framework

Under the changes, the authorities will permit designated AI developers and child protection groups to inspect AI models – the underlying technology for conversational AI and image generators – and verify they have adequate safeguards to stop them from producing depictions of child exploitation.

"Ultimately about stopping exploitation before it occurs," stated the minister for AI and online safety, noting: "Experts, under strict conditions, can now detect the danger in AI systems promptly."

Tackling Regulatory Obstacles

The amendments have been introduced because it is illegal to produce and possess CSAM, meaning that AI developers and others cannot create such content as part of a evaluation process. Until now, authorities 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 halt the production of those materials at source.

Legislative Structure

The changes are being added by the authorities as modifications to the crime and policing bill, which is also establishing a prohibition on possessing, creating or sharing AI models designed to create exploitative content.

Real-World Consequences

This recently, the official toured the London base of a children's helpline and heard a simulated call to counsellors featuring a account of AI-based exploitation. The interaction depicted a teenager requesting help after facing extortion using a explicit AI-generated image of themselves, constructed using AI.

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

Concerning Data

A prominent online safety organization stated that cases of AI-generated exploitation material – such as online pages that may contain numerous images – had significantly increased so far this year.

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

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

Industry Reaction

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

"AI tools have made it so victims can be targeted repeatedly with just a few clicks, giving offenders the capability to create possibly endless amounts of advanced, photorealistic child sexual abuse material," she continued. "Material which additionally exploits victims' trauma, and renders young people, especially girls, less safe both online and offline."

Support Interaction Data

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

• Employing AI to rate weight, physique and appearance
• Chatbots dissuading young people from talking to trusted guardians about abuse
• Being bullied online with AI-generated material
• Online blackmail using AI-manipulated pictures

Between April and September this year, Childline conducted 367 support sessions where AI, chatbots and related terms were mentioned, four times as many as in the same period last year.

Fifty percent of the mentions of AI in the 2025 interactions were related to psychological wellbeing and wellness, including using AI assistants for support and AI therapy applications.