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Technology companies and child protection organizations will receive permission to evaluate whether AI tools can generate child abuse images under recently introduced UK laws.

Significant Rise in AI-Generated Illegal Content

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

Updated Regulatory Structure

Under the amendments, the authorities will allow designated AI developers and child protection groups to inspect AI systems – the foundational systems for chatbots and image generators – and verify they have sufficient safeguards to stop them from producing depictions of child exploitation.

"Ultimately about preventing exploitation before it occurs," stated the minister for AI and online safety, adding: "Specialists, under rigorous conditions, can now identify the danger in AI systems promptly."

Addressing Legal Challenges

The changes have been introduced because it is against the law to produce and possess CSAM, meaning that AI creators and others cannot generate such content as part of a testing process. Until now, officials had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was published online before addressing it.

This legislation is designed to averting that issue by enabling to stop the creation of those images at their origin.

Legal Structure

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

Real-World Impact

This recently, the official visited the London base of a children's helpline and listened to a mock-up conversation to advisors featuring a report of AI-based abuse. The interaction portrayed a teenager requesting help after facing extortion using a sexualised deepfake of himself, created using AI.

"When I hear about young people facing blackmail online, it is a source of intense frustration in me and rightful anger amongst families," he said.

Concerning Data

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

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

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

Sector Response

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

"Artificial intelligence systems have made it so victims can be targeted repeatedly with just a few clicks, providing criminals the capability to create potentially endless quantities of advanced, lifelike child sexual abuse material," she added. "Material which further commodifies victims' suffering, and renders children, particularly female children, more vulnerable both online and offline."

Counseling Session Information

The children's helpline also published details of counselling interactions where AI has been mentioned. AI-related harms mentioned in the sessions comprise:

• Using AI to evaluate body size, physique and looks
• Chatbots dissuading children from consulting trusted adults about harm
• Being bullied online with AI-generated material
• Digital blackmail using AI-manipulated pictures

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

Fifty percent of the references of AI in the 2025 sessions were connected with mental health and wellbeing, including utilizing AI assistants for support and AI therapeutic applications.