UK Agencies Issue Guidance to Parents Amid Rise in AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Material

The National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) released joint guidance on 3 July 2026 urging UK parents and carers to limit public posting of children’s photographs. Described as “landmark,” the advice recommends private social-media settings, “close-friends” groups, and audits of existing images to reduce exposure to AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

The Guardian

AI-driven image synthesis now allows perpetrators to create realistic CSAM without direct contact or grooming. The IWF reports that deep-learning tools can “nudify” fully-clothed selfies, turning them into explicit content that can be distributed anonymously. This shift underpins the agencies’ warning to parents.

The Guardian

The IWF identified 8,029 AI-generated CSAM images and videos in 2025, a 14 % rise over the previous year. Its Report Remove service has recorded cases where teenagers were blackmailed after AI-altered images, though exact numbers were not disclosed.

The Guardian

The guidance advises three steps: (1) tighten privacy settings on social-media accounts; (2) review and remove public images of a child’s face, body or uniform; (3) discuss image-sharing consent with children and organisations like schools or clubs. The NSPCC urges private settings for under-18 accounts, and the early warning working group recommends schools delete identifiable pupil photos from websites.

The Guardian

Experts warn the advice may burden families while offering limited technical protection. IWF chief technology officer Dan Sexton said he was “very uncomfortable” recommending that parents avoid public posting, noting the lack of safeguards against AI scraping. Critics also highlight the absence of data on how many existing images have already been harvested and the difficulty of removing content from third-party platforms.

The Guardian

• “We encourage parents and carers to take a few simple steps today,” — Tim Wright, NCA

The Guardian

• “The average parent or carer does not post a picture of a child online thinking that it might be scraped to be turned into CSAM,” — Lorna Sinclair, NCA

The Guardian

• “I would be very cautious [about putting pictures of children online] because there is no protection.” — Dan Sexton, IWF

The Guardian

• “If you want a photograph of your children to be taken off a website or social media you are perfectly able to do that.” — Tom Dyson, IWF

The Guardian

The IWF reports a 14 % rise in AI-generated CSAM, but the guidance provides no baseline for the total number of child images online, making risk assessment difficult. No specific figures were released for the blackmail cases reported to Report Remove, leaving the scale of extortion unclear.

The Guardian

The NCA and IWF will monitor compliance with the privacy steps and update guidance as AI tools evolve. Schools in the early warning working group are expected to audit their websites within the next quarter, and the Report Remove hotline will be expanded to handle more AI-altered image reports.

The Guardian