British Tech Firms and Child Protection Agencies to Test AI's Capability to Create Exploitation Images

Technology companies and child safety agencies will receive permission to assess whether artificial intelligence systems can produce child abuse material under new British laws.

Significant Rise in AI-Generated Harmful Material

The announcement came as findings from a safety monitoring body showing that cases of AI-generated child sexual abuse material have increased dramatically in the last twelve months, rising from 199 in 2024 to 426 in 2025.

Updated Legal Structure

Under the amendments, the authorities will allow designated AI companies and child protection groups to inspect AI systems – the foundational technology for chatbots and image generators – and verify they have adequate protective measures to stop them from creating images of child exploitation.

"Fundamentally about stopping exploitation before it occurs," stated the minister for AI and online safety, noting: "Experts, under rigorous protocols, can now detect the risk in AI models early."

Addressing Regulatory Obstacles

The amendments have been implemented because it is against the law to create and own CSAM, meaning that AI developers and others cannot create such content as part of a testing process. Previously, officials had to delay action until AI-generated CSAM was uploaded online before dealing with it.

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

Legal Structure

The amendments are being introduced by the government as modifications to the criminal justice legislation, which is also establishing a ban on owning, creating or sharing AI systems designed to create exploitative content.

Practical Consequences

This recently, the official visited the London base of Childline and heard a mock-up conversation to counsellors involving a report of AI-based abuse. The interaction depicted a teenager seeking help after being blackmailed using a explicit deepfake of themselves, created using AI.

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

Alarming Statistics

A prominent internet monitoring foundation reported that instances of AI-generated exploitation material – such as online pages that may include multiple images – had significantly increased so far this year.

Cases of the most severe material – the most serious form of abuse – increased from 2,621 visual files to 3,086.

• Girls were overwhelmingly targeted, accounting for 94% of illegal AI depictions in 2025
• Depictions of infants to toddlers rose from five in 2024 to 92 in 2025

Sector Response

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

"Artificial intelligence systems have made it so victims can be targeted all over again with just a simple actions, providing criminals the ability to make possibly limitless quantities of advanced, photorealistic child sexual abuse material," she added. "Content which further exploits survivors' suffering, and makes young people, particularly girls, less safe both online and offline."

Support Interaction Data

Childline also released details of support interactions where AI has been referenced. AI-related risks discussed in the conversations include:

• Using AI to evaluate weight, physique and looks
• AI assistants dissuading young people from consulting trusted adults about abuse
• Being bullied online with AI-generated material
• Online extortion using AI-manipulated pictures

Between April and September this year, Childline conducted 367 support interactions where AI, conversational AI and associated topics were discussed, significantly more as many as in the equivalent timeframe last year.

Fifty percent of the mentions of AI in the 2025 sessions were connected with psychological wellbeing and wellness, including using chatbots for support and AI therapy apps.