UK parents warned over posting images of children amid AI sexual abuse fears
National Crime Agency and safety watchdog issue guidance amid rise in explicit material online.
3 July 2026
IWF In The News
Charity wants AI summit to address child sexual abuse imagery
Published: Mon 17 Jul 2023
Written by: Joe Tidy
A leading children's charity is calling on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to tackle AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery, when the UK hosts the first global summit on AI safety this autumn.
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) removes abuse content from the web and says AI images are on the rise.
Last month, the IWF began logging AI images for the first time.
It discovered predators around the world sharing galleries of sometimes photo-realistic pictures.
"We are not currently seeing these images in huge numbers, but it is clear to us the potential exists for criminals to produce unprecedented quantities of lifelike child sexual abuse imagery," said Susie Hargreaves, the IWF's chief executive.
The BBC was shown redacted versions of some of the images, which showed girls about five years old posing naked in sexual positions.
The IWF is one of only three charities in the world licensed to actively search for child abuse content online.
Read the full article at BBC News.
