Fake sexual images of children and deepfake videos are flooding the internet, and AI is making them easier to create and share. The EU wants tougher laws to close legal gaps, criminalise new forms of abuse and give victims more time to seek justice.

The European Parliament’s Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee (LIBE) approved the provisional agreement reached with EU governments in June. The revised legislation would explicitly cover AI-generated child sexual abuse material, including deepfakes, and introduce criminal penalties for AI systems designed or adapted specifically to produce such content.

The changes form part of a broader overhaul of the EU’s Child Sexual Abuse Directive, adopted in 2011, bringing European criminal law closer to the realities of digital exploitation.

AI becomes a growing threat

The scale of AI-generated sexual abuse is growing rapidly. According to the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), analysts identified 6310 AI-generated child sexual abuse images in the first six months of 2026. Already 40 per cent more than the 4512 recorded throughout 2025.

Girls appeared in 98 per cent of images. The organisation also identified material depicting younger children, including 1004 images involving children aged three to six and 190 depicting infants and toddlers under two.

Children are increasingly reporting manipulated images of themselves. IWF said its Report Remove service received 420 reports from children about suspected fake or manipulated sexual images in the first half of 2026, surpassing the 397 received during the whole of 2025.

The problem extends beyond material involving children. A study published by Lancaster University examined the growing availability of AI-generated non-consensual intimate imagery.

Estimates cited in reporting on the study suggest that the number of such videos online increased from around 500,000 in 2023 to eight million in 2025. This means a 1500 per cent rise. Besides, researchers identified 88 publicly accessible websites hosting the material, 93 per cent of which could be found through Google searches.

Justice beyond childhood

Designing AI systems to produce such material, as well as distributing it, will also become a criminal offence. The agreement addresses online grooming, sexual extortion and paying to access livestreamed child sexual abuse.

MEP Jeroen Lenaers (EPP/NDL), the Parliament’s lead negotiator, said “this is a massive step forward in protecting children, both online and offline”. One of the central changes concerns the time victims have to seek justice. The agreement substantially extends limitation periods, meaning child rape must remain prosecutable at least until the survivor reaches the age of 50.

The Dutch lawmaker believes the changes reflected testimonies from survivors. “Throughout the procedure, we listened carefully to the horrifying testimonies of child victims, to ensure that our laws reflect their experiences and the challenges. The trauma of an abused child does not expire; neither should the period to bring their abusers to justice,” he said.

Following LIBE’s vote, the negotiated directive must still be formally approved by the European Parliament in plenary and by the Council.

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