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Technology companies and child protection agencies will receive permission to evaluate whether artificial intelligence systems can generate child abuse material under recently introduced UK laws.

Substantial Rise in AI-Generated Harmful Material

The declaration came as 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 Structure

Under the changes, the authorities will allow approved AI companies and child protection groups to examine AI models – the underlying technology for conversational AI and visual AI tools – and ensure they have sufficient protective measures to stop them from producing depictions of child exploitation.

"Ultimately about stopping abuse before it happens," stated the minister for AI and online safety, noting: "Specialists, under rigorous protocols, can now detect the risk in AI systems promptly."

Tackling Legal Challenges

The changes have been implemented because it is against the law to create and own CSAM, meaning that AI developers and other parties cannot generate such images as part of a evaluation process. Until now, officials had to wait until AI-generated CSAM was published online before dealing with it.

This law is aimed at preventing that problem by enabling to halt the creation of those materials at their origin.

Legislative Framework

The changes are being added by the authorities as revisions to the criminal justice legislation, which is also establishing a ban on owning, creating or distributing AI systems designed to generate exploitative content.

Practical Consequences

This recently, the official visited the London headquarters of Childline and listened to a mock-up conversation to advisors involving a account of AI-based abuse. The interaction portrayed a adolescent requesting help after being blackmailed using a explicit deepfake of themselves, created using AI.

"When I learn about children facing blackmail online, it is a source of intense anger in me and justified anger amongst families," he stated.

Alarming Statistics

A prominent internet monitoring organization stated that instances of AI-generated exploitation material – such as online pages that may contain multiple images – had more than doubled so far this year.

Instances of the most severe material – the gravest form of exploitation – increased from 2,621 images or videos to 3,086.

• Girls were predominantly targeted, accounting for 94% of illegal AI images in 2025
• Portrayals of infants to toddlers rose from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Industry Reaction

The law change could "constitute a vital step to guarantee AI tools are secure before they are launched," stated the head of the online safety organization.

"AI tools have made it so victims can be targeted repeatedly with just a simple actions, providing offenders the ability to make potentially endless amounts of advanced, lifelike exploitative content," she continued. "Content which additionally exploits victims' trauma, and makes young people, particularly girls, less safe both online and offline."

Support Session Information

Childline also published information of counselling sessions where AI has been mentioned. AI-related risks discussed in the sessions include:

• Using AI to rate weight, physique and looks
• AI assistants dissuading young people from consulting safe adults about harm
• Being bullied online with AI-generated material
• Online blackmail using AI-manipulated images

During April and September this year, Childline delivered 367 support sessions where AI, conversational AI and associated topics were discussed, significantly more as many as in the same period last year.

Fifty percent of the references of AI in the 2025 sessions were related to mental health and wellbeing, including utilizing chatbots for support and AI therapeutic applications.