Internet Watch Foundation — Record 8,029 AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Items Found in 2025

Summary

The Internet Watch Foundation reported on March 24, 2026, that it identified 8,029 AI-generated images and videos of realistic child sexual abuse in 2025, a 14% increase on the previous year. Videos rose more than 260-fold, from 13 in 2024 to 3,443, and 65% of them were in the most severe legal category, against 43% of non-AI videos. The IWF called on the UK government to require safety-by-design and pre-release testing of AI models; its polling found 82% of UK adults support such regulation.

Who caught it A researcherFound outside the organization

This is a statistic: context for the failures library rather than an incident at one organization, so it carries no lesson.

Key dates

1. March 24, 2026Event
2. October 16, 2026Checked against sources
3. October 21, 2026Checked against sources

Developments are added when the record is reviewed. Next review: October 16, 2027.

Evidence

Each passage is quoted from its source. The quoted passages are re-checked against the live pages every month.

1. It shows how, in 2025, the IWF identified 8,029 AI-generated images and videos of realistic child sexual abuse – a 14% increase in criminal AI content on the previous year.

   Supports: count, year-on-year change, date

   'Dangerous' AI child sexual abuse reaches record high as public backs clampdown on 'uncensored' tools Internet Watch Foundation Primary source

2. The IWF said 65% of the 3,443 videos were classified as category A, the term for the most severe material under UK law.

   Supports: video count and severity share

   Amount of AI-generated child sexual abuse material found online surged in 2025 The Guardian Reporting or analysis