New AI child sexual abuse laws announced following IWF campaign

The Government is cracking down on AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery following an Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) campaign to tighten up regulations.

Today (February 2), Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced a raft of new legislation designed to curb the rise of life-like child sexual abuse material generated by AI.

The new rules will outlaw the possession and distribution of AI models that have been optimised to create child sexual abuse imagery, and will also criminalise the possession of manuals which provide instructions on how offenders can  use AI  to generate child sexual abuse imagery.

As the UK’s front line against child sexual abuse imagery online, the IWF has welcomed the announcement, but says further steps are needed to clamp down on the abuse of this new technology.

The IWF was among the first to sound the alarm about the spread of AI and synthetic child sexual abuse imagery, and has long been campaigning for these measures to be introduced.

Currently, loopholes in UK law make it too easy for criminals to create potentially limitless amounts of realistic child sexual abuse imagery, often offline, without detection.

The announcement comes as newly released IWF data shows reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery found online by the IWF have quadrupled in a year.

IWF analysts confirmed 245 reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse in 2024 compared with 51 in 2023, a 380% rise. Of these reports, 193 involved imagery that was so realistic it had to be treated exactly the same as ‘real’ photographic imagery of child sexual abuse. 

Derek Ray-Hill, Interim Chief Executive of the IWF, said: “We have long been calling for the law to be tightened up, and are pleased the Government has adopted our recommendations. These steps will have a concrete impact on online safety.

“The frightening speed with which AI imagery has become indistinguishable from photographic abuse has shown the need for legislation to keep pace with new technologies.

“Children who have suffered sexual abuse in the past are now being made victims all over again, with images of their abuse being commodified to train AI models. It is a nightmare scenario, and any child can now be made a victim, with life-like images of them being sexually abused obtainable with only a few prompts, and a few clicks.

“The availability of this AI content further fuels sexual violence against children. It emboldens and encourages abusers, and it makes real children less safe. There is certainly more to be done to prevent AI technology from being exploited, but we welcome today’s announcement, and believe these measures are a vital starting point.” 

The measures announced today will be introduced as part of the upcoming Crime and Policing Bill which is set to come before Parliament in the spring.

New measures include:

• Introducing a new criminal offence to possess, create or distribute AI models designed to generate child sexual abuse material. While it is already illegal to possess or create AI generated child sexual abuse material, the new offence will outlaw AI models that have been optimised to create the most severe forms of child sexual abuse material.
• Introducing a new criminal offence to possess AI ‘paedophile manuals’. It is already illegal to possess ‘guidance about abusing children sexually’ but not on how to generate ‘pseudo-photographs’ (and therefore AI generated images) of child sexual abuse. As it stands, it is not a specific offence to possess manuals that show how to abuse legitimate content generation tools to generate illegal child sexual abuse material, the new proposals will address this.

Gregor Poynton MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Children’s Online Safety, said: "Protecting our children must always be our top priority. The rise of AI-generated child sexual abuse material is a deeply disturbing development that threatens to escalate online child exploitation.  

“While AI innovation offers many benefits, it must never come at the expense of child safety. I am encouraged by the steps the Government has taken to address this growing threat, and I will continue to push for decisive action to ensure robust safeguards are put in place to prevent this technology from being weaponised by those who seek to harm children.” 

As well as these new rules, the Government will introduce a specific criminal offence for administrators and moderators of dedicated child sexual abuse sites and groups, as well as new powers to help border security staff investigate devices suspected of being used to smuggle child sexual abuse files into the UK.  

Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, said: “We know that sick predators' activities online often lead to them carrying out the most horrific abuse in person. This government will not hesitate to act to ensure the safety of children online by ensuring our laws keep pace with the latest threats.

“These four new laws are bold measures designed to keep our children safe online as technologies evolve. It is vital that we tackle child sexual abuse online as well as offline so we can better protect the public from new and emerging crimes as part of our Plan for Change.”

Technology Secretary, Peter Kyle said: “For too long abusers have hidden behind their screens, manipulating technology to commit vile crimes and the law has failed to keep up. It’s meant too many children, young people, and their families have been suffering the dire and lasting impacts of this abuse. 

“That is why we are cracking down with some of the most far-reaching laws anywhere in the world. These laws will close loopholes, imprison more abusers, and put a stop to the trafficking of this abhorrent material from abroad. Our message is clear – nothing will get in the way from keeping children safe, and to abusers, the time for cowering behind a keyboard is over.” 

Deborah Denis, Chief Executive of child protection charity the Lucy Faithfull Foundation said: "Child sexual abuse, in all its forms, is preventable. We welcome the much-needed changes that the Crime and Policing Bill will bring. But as the legislation races to keep up with the fast-evolving technology, it's clear that we cannot arrest our way out of this problem. We need to prevent child sexual abuse before it happens, and we need to be innovative in our solutions. 
 
"Our research shows there are serious knowledge gaps amongst the public regarding AI child sexual abuse material and the harm it causes to children – there is a common and dangerous misconception that it is not harmful. People believe that the children in these images are not ‘real’, which helps to ease the guilt of many who view or make this material. But we need to be clear - not only does this material normalise the sexualisation of children, but AI is being used to manipulate images of real children, some of whom have previously been victims of sexual abuse.
 
"Our message is simple – creating, viewing, or sharing AI-generated sexual images of under-18s is illegal, and causes serious harm to real children across the world – but there is help to change. Anyone that needs support to change their online behaviours can contact our anonymous Stop It Now helpline (0808 1000 900). Our skilled and experienced advisors can offer free, confidential support before it’s too late."

It is hoped today’s announcements will greatly increase the ability to crack down on the creation of AI child sexual abuse imagery. While welcoming the changes, the IWF says there is always more to be done, nationally and internationally, and urges further action to help make the internet a safer place.

• The IWF urges Governments around the world to introduce similar measures to make sure there is international alignment on measures to counter the spread of AI-generated child sexual abuse, meaning there is nowhere for criminals to hide.
• The IWF wants “nudifying” apps, which are used to create images of both adults and children, to be banned.
• The IWF is also calling for robust regulatory oversight of AI models before they reach the market or are released as open-source. Risk mitigation strategies must be in place, and protections must be built into closed-source models from the outset.
• The IWF says the ideal vehicle for this in the UK is the Government’s upcoming AI Bill. If this legislation doesn't feature safeguards to prevent the generation of AI generated child sexual abuse material, it risks becoming a missed opportunity.