The rapid spread of artificial intelligence is fueling a severe rise in the creation and distribution of sexually abusive deepfake images of children, with documented cases during the first half of this year already overtaking the total recorded across the entirety of 2025. According to the latest findings from the Internet Watch Foundation, the organisation assessed 6,310 AI-generated images that meet the legal threshold of child sexual abuse material during the six-month period, marking an increase of more than 40 percent compared to the over 4,500 images identified last year. The surge underlines how accessible generative tools now allow offenders to repurpose innocent everyday pictures into realistic, abusive content.
Young Girls Heavily Targeted as Manipulation Tools Advance
A significant majority of the assessed material centered on girls between the ages of 7 and 13, who accounted for 98 percent of all AI-generated cases reviewed by the watchdog. Criminals are routinely altering standard family photographs to produce illicit media that appears convincingly lifelike, complicating efforts by authorities to identify victims and protect targeted minors. Watchdog officials warned that perpetrators no longer require access to existing abusive material to generate illicit imagery, raising acute worries about the vulnerability of public photographs shared on social media platforms.
Calls for Tech Sector Accountability and Stronger Safeguards
The Internet Watch Foundation has called on governments to enforce stricter accountability standards on technology firms and software developers. The group stressed that technology firms must integrate robust safeguards into the earliest architecture of AI models to prevent systems from being weaponised for illegal content creation. Under United Kingdom law, generating illicit material through AI, altering models to facilitate abuse, or circulating the files remains illegal, with developers facing prison sentences of up to five years if found complicit. In light of the rising threat, the organisation advised parents and guardians to limit public postings of their children, set social media accounts to private, and restrict family pictures to verified, trusted circles.
Norway Moves to Restrict Smart Glasses Over Public Privacy Risks
OSLO — Alongside rising digital image manipulation concerns, the Norwegian government is drafting legislation to restrict the use of AI-enabled smart glasses in public environments. Officials in Oslo are preparing a formal proposal for parliament designed to safeguard public privacy against covert audio and visual monitoring. Modern smart eyewear equipped with concealed cameras and microphones permits users to record bystanders and private discussions without consent, prompting Norwegian regulators to intervene against the unchecked proliferation of wearable surveillance hardware.
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