AI-generated child sexual abuse videos have surged 400% in 2025, with experts warning of increasingly realistic, extreme content and the urgent need for regulation to prevent full-length synthetic abuse films.
Dutch MEP Jeroen Lenaers visits the IWF offices in Cambridge, UK, to hear directly from frontline experts about the harms of AI in the fight against online child sexual abuse.
AI imagery getting more ‘extreme’ as IWF welcomes new rules allowing thorough testing of AI tools
Record levels of dangerous AI‑generated child sexual abuse imagery were found by the IWF in 2025, with a dramatic rise in severe content. New polling shows 82% of UK adults want government action to ensure AI systems are safe by design.
A new IWF report reveals record levels of AI‑generated child sexual abuse imagery and alarming insight into how offenders are exploiting emerging technologies. The charity is urging EU lawmakers to introduce a zero‑tolerance ban on AI‑generated abuse and the tools used to create it.
From 3 April, the EU will become the only region worldwide without legal certainty allowing technology companies to detect child sexual abuse material online, prompting urgent warnings from child protection experts and global tech organisations. A coalition of 246 civil society groups and major industry players has condemned lawmakers for failing to extend the temporary legal framework that permitted privacy‑preserving detection tools, leaving companies unsure whether safeguarding systems remain lawful. With the EU already hosting the highest concentration of known child sexual abuse material - 62% of confirmed webpages in 2024 - experts warn the situation will worsen, reducing detections, hampering investigations, and emboldening offenders. As the EU’s proposed permanent legislation remains deadlocked, industry leaders and protection advocates stress that immediate action is essential to prevent increased harm to children across Europe and beyond.
Campaigners are warning teenagers and their parents about online grooming and sexual exploitation as schools break up for the summer.
IWF backs government move requiring tech companies to urgently implement nudity detection and blocking on children’s devices.
AI is becoming more powerful by the day, and the challenge of keeping children safe is growing with it.
The IWF and NCA have launched new guidance and a national campaign to help parents and carers protect children's images from AI manipulation, following a sharp rise in AI-generated child sexual abuse material. The advice covers image consent, safer photo sharing, talking to children about deepfakes, and how to report concerns to the police or CEOP.