AI Child Sexual Abuse Imagery – New IWF Figures
The Internet Watch Foundation has published new figures showing a rapid increase in AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery.
Between January and June 2026, IWF analysts identified 6,310 AI-generated images that met the legal definition of child sexual abuse. That’s already 40% more than the 4,512 identified across the whole of 2025.
The IWF also reports that girls featured in 98% of the images where age and gender were recorded, with increases in imagery depicting younger children.
These findings are concerning and reinforce the importance of understanding that AI-generated sexual imagery can cause very real safeguarding harm, even where the image itself was synthetically created or manipulated from an ordinary photograph.
From a curriculum perspective, it’s really important we reinforce the fact that privacy is now more important than ever in terms of what is being posted and where.
How Safe Are AI Chatbots for Teenagers?
Common Sense Media’s Youth AI Safety Institute has published the results of independent testing of ChatGPT accounts registered to teenagers aged 13–17.
They tested more than 4,000 prompts across areas including mental health, self-harm, sexual content and emotional dependency, and rated the current teen experience an “Unacceptable Risk”.
The testing also found examples where the system did refuse harmful requests or encourage teenagers to seek help from trusted adults, so the picture isn’t one of complete failure, but young people still need AI literacy, trusted adults and clear guidance about when an AI chatbot is not an appropriate source of support.
Link:
Common Sense Media – ChatGPT for Teens Safety Assessment
Online Safety Shouldn’t Only Be About Risk
Much discussion about children and social media understandably focuses on harm, but there is also a risk of overlooking the positive experiences young people describe online.
A recent review looked at 90 studies from 26 countries involving young people aged 12–19 and examined the ways young people themselves described positive online experiences.
Themes included:
- self-expression and identity;
- developing skills and creativity;
- friendships and belonging;
- finding supportive communities;
- learning how platforms and algorithms work.
The authors argue that online safety should not simply aim to remove all risk. Supporting young people to flourish online safely is also important.
In other words, online safety should be a balance between the positives and negatives; acknowledge the benefits and help to mitigate the risks.
Research Resource – AI Companions and Young People
Children and Screens has published a concise research overview looking at AI chatbots and companions and their possible effects on children and young people.
The resource highlights emerging evidence around:
- increasing trust in conversational AI with repeated use;
- emotional attachment to human-like AI;
- influence on identity and self-presentation;
- possible effects on mental health and relationships.
This is a US-based research resource, but it provides a useful overview for anyone trying to understand why AI companions may raise different safeguarding questions from more traditional uses of generative AI.
Link:
Children and Screens – Chatbots, AI Companions and Youth
For Parents – Protecting Children’s Images from AI Abuse
AI tools can now be used to manipulate ordinary photographs of children into sexual or otherwise harmful imagery.
The Internet Watch Foundation and the National Crime Agency have produced practical guidance for parents and carers about reducing the risk of image misuse.
The advice includes thinking carefully about privacy settings, who can see photographs, how much identifying information is shared and involving children in decisions about posting their images as they get older.
The guidance also explains what parents can do if an image has been manipulated or misused.
Link:
IWF – Parent Guide: Stopping AI Child Image Abuse
For Parents – Understanding AI Companions
AI chatbots are increasingly able to hold long, personal conversations and may sometimes feel more like companions than simple information tools.
For parents, it’s useful to understand how repeated conversations with an AI system can encourage trust or emotional attachment, particularly for children who may find the interaction supportive or easier than talking to another person.
Children and Screens has produced a short research overview explaining some of the opportunities and concerns around AI companions and young people.
Link:
Children and Screens – Chatbots, AI Companions and Youth
