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Tech firms and child protection agencies will receive authority to evaluate whether AI systems can generate child exploitation images under recently introduced UK legislation.

Significant Rise in AI-Generated Illegal Content

The declaration coincided with revelations from a protection monitoring body showing that reports of AI-generated CSAM have more than doubled in the past year, growing from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

New Regulatory Structure

Under the changes, the government will allow designated AI developers and child protection organizations to inspect AI models – the foundational technology for conversational AI and image generators – and verify they have adequate protective measures to prevent them from creating depictions of child exploitation.

"Fundamentally about preventing exploitation before it occurs," declared the minister for AI and online safety, noting: "Specialists, under rigorous protocols, can now detect the danger in AI models early."

Addressing Legal Challenges

The changes have been introduced because it is against the law to create and own CSAM, meaning that AI creators and other parties cannot generate such images as part of a evaluation regime. Until now, authorities had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was published online before dealing with it.

This legislation is aimed at averting that problem by enabling to halt the creation of those materials at source.

Legislative Structure

The changes are being added by the government as revisions to the crime and policing bill, which is also establishing a ban on possessing, producing or distributing AI models designed to generate exploitative content.

Practical Impact

This recently, the official visited the London base of a children's helpline and heard a mock-up call to counsellors involving a report of AI-based exploitation. The interaction portrayed a adolescent requesting help after facing extortion using a explicit AI-generated image of himself, created using AI.

"When I learn about young people facing blackmail online, it is a source of extreme frustration in me and justified concern amongst families," he said.

Concerning Data

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

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

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

Sector Response

The law change could "represent a crucial step to guarantee AI products are safe before they are released," commented the chief executive of the internet monitoring foundation.

"Artificial intelligence systems have enabled so victims can be targeted all over again with just a simple actions, providing criminals the ability to make potentially limitless quantities of sophisticated, photorealistic exploitative content," she added. "Material which additionally commodifies victims' suffering, and renders children, especially female children, more vulnerable both online and offline."

Support Session Information

The children's helpline also published information of support interactions where AI has been referenced. AI-related harms discussed in the sessions comprise:

• Employing AI to rate body size, physique and looks
• Chatbots discouraging children from consulting safe adults about abuse
• Facing harassment online with AI-generated material
• Online extortion using AI-faked images

During April and September this year, Childline delivered 367 support interactions where AI, chatbots and related topics were mentioned, four times as many as in the same period last year.

Half of the mentions of AI in the 2025 sessions were connected with mental health and wellness, including using chatbots for support and AI therapeutic applications.