Hundreds of British under-18s say their pictures have…
New data from the Internet Watch Foundation reveals a sharp rise in British minors reporting AI-generated or manipulated nude imagery of themselves online
- Incident date
- Aug 2026
- Target
- Multiple British minors
A growing number of British minors are reporting the existence of AI-generated or digitally manipulated nude and sexual imagery of themselves being shared online. Data released in August 2026 indicates that reports of such content are rising rapidly, with figures from the first half of the year already surpassing the total number of reports recorded throughout 2025.
What happened
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and Childline manage the Report Remove helpline, which allows young people to report non-consensual sexual imagery. Since 2025, users have been able to specify if they believe the content was faked using AI, nudification tools, or other image-editing software.
In 2025, the IWF received 397 reports involving suspected faked imagery. In the first six months of 2026 alone, that number rose to 420. The trend is also visible in "actioned" reports, where analysts confirmed the imagery met the legal threshold for child sexual abuse material. In 2025, there were 221 such cases, while by the end of June 2026, the number had reached 268.
Experts warn that criminals are finding it increasingly easy to transform everyday photos into life-like sexual abuse material. This content leaves victims vulnerable to extortion, intimidation, and severe emotional distress. The IWF and the NSPCC are calling for stronger safety regulations for AI companies, arguing that developers must embed protections into products from the design phase to prevent the creation of such harmful material.