Internet Watch Foundation reports huge rise in AI child sexual abuse material

A surge in AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) has been reported by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), with the number of AI images assessed this year already surpassing last year's total. The UK-based organization observed 6,310 AI images that met the legal definition of child sexual abuse in the first half of 2026, marking a 40% increase compared to the previous year's 4,500+ images. The majority of these images featured girls aged seven to 13.

Analysts at the IWF noted that the rise in AI-generated CSAM has been ongoing, with a significant surge in videos. Despite this trend, the present figures only consider still images. The organization's head of policy, Hannah Swirsky, supports calls for binding legislation on AI to compel companies to create safer models. She emphasizes that tech companies must build tools that cannot be misused.

The IWF and the National Crime Agency have advised parents and guardians to remove children's pictures from social media to prevent online predators from exploiting AI-generated explicit images. This issue stems from the technology itself, and the government has made it illegal to adapt AI models to create abuse material or distribute such models.

Breaking UK law, AI-generated CSAM is illegal, and the government has also banned AI models used for creating this type of content. Developers of models designed to produce hyper-realistic child sexual abuse material face up to five years in prison.