A new form of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is spreading online: images created entirely by artificial intelligence, not photographs of real children. The UK's National Crime Agency (via CEOP) and the Internet Watch Foundation have just released guidance for parents on what this means, why it's serious, and what to do if you encounter it. Understanding this threat is now part of the statutory safeguarding framework for schools and has become essential knowledge for any parent with a child online.
What is AI-generated abuse imagery?
AI-generated child abuse imagery is created using artificial intelligence tools — not by photographing or filming a real child. These tools can generate realistic images or videos of child sexual abuse that never actually happened to any real person. The images may look like photographs, but no child was harmed in their creation.
This does not make them less serious. UK law treats AI-generated CSAM the same way as images of real abuse: possessing, distributing, or creating them is a criminal offence. The Online Safety Act and the Criminal Justice Act both apply. Platforms have a legal duty to find and remove this content as fast as they find real abuse material.
> AI-generated abuse imagery is illegal to create, share, or possess in the UK, regardless of whether a real child appears in it.
Why this is a safeguarding concern for your child
There are three ways this affects your family:
Your child might be targeted. Offenders can use real images or videos of your child (taken from social media, sent in confidence to a friend, or captured without consent) and feed them into AI tools to generate fake abuse material. This is sometimes called "deepfake" abuse. The offender may then use these images to blackmail or groom your child.
Your child might encounter it online. AI-generated imagery is being shared on mainstream platforms — encrypted messaging apps, gaming platforms, forums, and image boards. A young person stumbling across it may not immediately realise it's AI-generated, and the shock and confusion can be traumatic on their own.
Your child might be pressured into creating it. In rare cases, offenders have persuaded young people to use AI tools to generate images "for fun", not understanding the legal consequences. A 16-year-old who creates and shares this material is committing a crime, even if they don't realise it.
How to spot the warning signs
Watch for these indicators that your child may be involved with or affected by AI-generated abuse imagery:
- Your child is talking about or using AI image-generation tools (DALL-E, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, or others) without clear creative purpose.
- You notice them visiting deepfake or synthetic media websites, especially if they're secretive about it.
- They've been asked by someone online to "pose" for photos or videos under the guise of "testing AI" or "making memes".
- They seem distressed after being online but won't explain why.