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Technology companies and child protection agencies will receive permission to evaluate whether AI tools can generate child exploitation images under recently introduced British legislation.

Substantial Increase in AI-Generated Harmful Content

The announcement coincided with findings from a safety watchdog showing that cases of AI-generated CSAM have more than doubled in the past year, growing from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

New Legal Framework

Under the changes, the government will permit approved AI developers and child safety groups to inspect AI systems – the underlying technology for conversational AI and visual AI tools – and verify they have sufficient safeguards to stop them from producing images of child sexual abuse.

"Fundamentally about preventing abuse before it occurs," declared Kanishka Narayan, noting: "Experts, under rigorous protocols, can now identify the risk in AI models early."

Tackling Regulatory Obstacles

The changes have been introduced because it is illegal to produce and own CSAM, meaning that AI developers and other parties cannot generate such content as part of a testing process. Previously, authorities had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was uploaded online before addressing it.

This law is designed to preventing that issue by enabling to stop the production of those images at source.

Legal Structure

The amendments are being added by the authorities as modifications to the criminal justice legislation, which is also establishing a prohibition on possessing, producing or sharing AI models designed to create child sexual abuse material.

Practical Impact

This week, the official visited the London headquarters of a children's helpline and heard a mock-up conversation to counsellors featuring a account of AI-based exploitation. The call depicted a adolescent seeking help after being blackmailed using a sexualised deepfake of themselves, constructed using AI.

"When I hear about children experiencing extortion online, it is a cause of extreme frustration in me and rightful anger amongst families," he stated.

Concerning Data

A leading internet monitoring foundation stated that instances of AI-generated exploitation content – such as webpages that may include numerous images – had significantly increased so far this year.

Instances of the most severe content – the gravest form of exploitation – increased from 2,621 visual files to 3,086.

• Girls were predominantly targeted, accounting for 94% of prohibited AI images in 2025
• Depictions of newborns to two-year-olds rose from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Industry Reaction

The legislative amendment could "constitute a vital step to guarantee AI tools are secure before they are released," stated the chief executive of the online safety organization.

"Artificial intelligence systems have enabled so survivors can be targeted all over again with just a few clicks, giving criminals the capability to create possibly limitless amounts of sophisticated, photorealistic exploitative content," she continued. "Content which further commodifies survivors' suffering, and renders children, particularly female children, less safe on and off line."

Support Interaction Information

The children's helpline also published information of support sessions where AI has been mentioned. AI-related risks discussed in the sessions include:

• Using AI to evaluate weight, physique and appearance
• AI assistants discouraging young people from consulting trusted adults about harm
• Facing harassment online with AI-generated material
• Online extortion using AI-manipulated pictures

During April and September this year, the helpline delivered 367 counselling sessions where AI, chatbots and related terms were mentioned, four times as many as in the same period last year.

Half of the references of AI in the 2025 sessions were related to mental health and wellness, including utilizing AI assistants for assistance and AI therapeutic applications.