Child sexual abuse images created by artificial intelligence (AI) are spreading across the internet. The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) conducted an assessment of 6,310 illegal contents in the first half of 2026, a volume 40% higher than the total recorded by the organization throughout all of 2025.
Among the materials examined, there was a predominance of representations of girls and children aged between seven and thirteen. For the IWF, this increase underscores the urgency of establishing new regulations that require technology companies to develop safer systems.
Analysis of photorealistic AI-generated images
IWF analysts, a British organization dedicated to monitoring global child sexual abuse material, detected more photorealistic images produced by AI in the first six months of 2026 than in the entire previous year. In 2025, the IWF had identified over 4,500 such images, and the initial registration for 2026 already represents a 40% growth compared to the total of 2025.
The entity notes that this type of material has been growing for several years, with a particularly sharp rise in videos; however, the current survey focused exclusively on static images.
Responsibility of technology companies
Hannah Swirsky, head of IWF policies, emphasized that this data reinforces the need for mandatory legislation holding corporations accountable for developing safer tools. She told The Guardian that it is the duty of technology companies to create instruments that cannot be used abusively, arguing that if technology originated the problem, companies must implement safe systems from the outset.
This discussion takes place against a backdrop where specific regulations already exist for this crime. In the United Kingdom, the production of child sexual abuse material using AI is prohibited, as is the adaptation of models to generate such content or the distribution of these models. Developing a model focused on producing hyper-realistic child sexual abuse material can result in a penalty of up to five years imprisonment.
Although the British government has not yet announced a new specific law for AI, the UK AI minister, Kanishka Narayan, mentioned that 'nothing is off the table' regarding regulation. For him, the primary factor in any new proposal must be: 'Will this make the British people safer?'
Regulation and reports
Current legislation imposes certain specific restrictions: the criminal use of technology is not limited to creating entirely artificial images, as real photographs of children can also be modified to generate sexualized representations. The Report Remove service received 420 reports from children who claimed their own images had been falsified or altered to appear explicit, surpassing the level of 397 occurrences registered throughout 2025.
The UK National Crime Agency and the IWF advise caution when posting photos of children on social media. Recommendations include keeping profiles private and sharing images only with restricted circles, such as 'close friends'. The progress of these tools intensifies concerns about the illicit use of both AI-generated images and authentic photographs initially posted on social networks.