Policy & Regulation5 October 2026, 05:00 UTC2 min read

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

IWF assessed 6,310 AI images of child sexual abuse in the first half of 2026, 40% higher than last year’s total of more than 4,500. The majority were of girls aged seven to 13, and the figure already exceeds the 2025 total.

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Key points

IWF assessed 6,310 AI child sexual abuse images in first half of 2026, 40% higher than last year's >4,500.
UK law bans AI models used to create child sexual abuse material, criminal sentence up to five years.
Report Remove service logged 420 reports of fake child images in 2026, up from 397 in 2025.

The foundation calls for new statutory regulation. UK law bans AI models used to create child sexual abuse material, with a criminal sentence of up to five years. Kanishka Narayan said “nothing is off the table” but the test for any proposal will be whether it makes the British people safer, while Hannah Swirsky urges binding legislation to compel companies to build safer models.

Report Remove, a service that blocks intimate images, logged 420 reports from children about fake images in 2026, up from 397 in 2025. The National Crime Agency and IWF advise parents to keep pictures off social media, using private accounts or close‑friends groups.

Full story from The Guardian AI · by Dan Milmo Global technology editorOpen source ↗