IWF finds 6,310 AI‑generated images of child sexual abuse in first half of 2026
IWF recorded 6,310 AI‑generated images in the first half of 2026 — already more than the total for 2025 and with video content rising fast.
Analysts at the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) have identified a sharp rise in AI‑generated images online that meet the UK legal definition of child sexual abuse material, with 6,310 such pictures found in the first half of 2026.
That total already surpasses the roughly 4,500 images recorded for the whole of 2025, representing about a 40 percent increase year‑on‑year, according to the IWF figures for the period.
Photos now dominate the dataset; videos rising
The IWF report covers photographs created with artificial intelligence; the organisation notes an accelerating trend in AI‑produced content overall and says the volume of video material is growing even faster, though the most recent public figures relate only to images.
Most of the analysed pictures depict girls and children aged between 7 and 13. The IWF stresses the age range to underline the scale of the problem and the particular vulnerability of the victims represented.
The Internet Watch Foundation warns that the data “clearly show the need for new rules for artificial intelligence,” calling for updated regulation and stronger safeguards to prevent the spread of AI‑generated child sexual abuse material online.
Photo: press material from the event
