AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Material: New Guidance for Parents - Internet Watch Foundation IWF

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and the National Crime Agency (NCA) have identified a surge in criminal gangs using AI to manipulate publicly available images of children into sexualized content. This growing threat has prompted new guidance for parents and carers on image consent and digital safety following targeted attacks on educational institutions.

What happened

A criminal gang targeted a school in the UK by harvesting imagery of its pupils directly from the school’s website. Utilizing AI technology, the perpetrators generated more than 100 sexualized images of the children. The gang subsequently attempted to blackmail the school, demanding payment to prevent the illicit material from being released online. The IWF intervened to prevent the images from being uploaded to the internet, but the incident highlights the ongoing risk to schools and families. The IWF reported that AI-generated child sexual abuse material has seen a dramatic increase, with 3,443 videos identified in 2025 compared to just 13 in 2024. The organization emphasizes that this content is illegal under UK law and causes genuine, devastating harm, regardless of whether the imagery is artificially generated or manipulated.