{"slug": "ai-is-supercharging-online-harms-against-children-regulator-says", "title": "AI is ‘supercharging’ online harms against children, regulator says", "summary": "Ofcom told the Lords' communications and digital committee that AI is \"supercharging\" online harms against children, with group director for online safety Oliver Griffiths saying it has become \"much easier to create and disseminate child sexual abuse material\" since the Online Safety Act's phased introduction in 2023. Griffiths said the OSA is making \"a significant impact\" but that AI is \"sucking things the other way,\" and Ofcom's Mark Bunting said the regulator cannot yet require firms to use proactive detection tools because of tensions with users' privacy and freedom of expression. The committee also heard Ofcom has been \"underwhelmed\" by the overall impact of changes by X, Meta, and Snap, while Molly Rose Foundation findings showed children's exposure to high-risk suicide, self-harm, and eating disorder content has \"barely changed\" over the last year.", "body_md": "# AI is ‘supercharging’ online harms against children, regulator says\n\nArtificial intelligence has been halting progress on children’s safety online, Ofcom bosses warned\n\n- Bookmark\n\n[AI](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/ai) is “supercharging” the [creation and sharing](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/donald-trump-andy-burnham-government-liam-byrne-b3050263.html) of [child sexual abuse material](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/ai-generated-child-sexual-abuse-imagery-soars-b2964283.html) online among other harms, the [UK](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/uk)’s online regulator has said.\n\nOfcom bosses insisted the [Online Safety Act](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/child-sexual-abuse-rise-social-media-uk-b3012607.html) (OSA) is making “a significant impact” but that progress is being “sucked the other way” by AI.\n\nDuring a grilling by the Lords’ [communications](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/communications) and digital committee over the implementation and effectiveness of the Act, the regulator warned child sexual abuse material (CSAM) has become “easier to create and disseminate” since its phased introduction in 2023.\n\nGroup director for online safety Oliver Griffiths told the committee he believes there is “good anecdotal evidence” that children’s experiences online are improving since the implementation of the OSA.\n\n\"This is against a background where we have seen a proliferation of AI over the last couple of years which in many ways has been sucking things the other way,” he said.\n\n“It has become much easier to create and disseminate child sexual abuse material, for example. We are seeing a whole range of ways where harms can be supercharged. So on the scales the OSA I think is making a significant impact, but we also have an environment where AI is supercharging some of the harms themselves.\"\n\nIt comes after Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon resigned last week over concerns the top AI labs are “are racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives.\"\n\nFollowing his resignation, a cross-party panel of MPs on Monday urged the creation of a new [AI](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/artificial-intelligence) Bill “to address the scale and [seriousness of threats](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ceo-anthropic-openai-los-angeles-alan-turing-b3049582.html) posed to [human rights](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/human-rights)” arising from the technology.\n\nOn Tuesday afternoon, Lords quizzed Ofcom chiefs on issues surrounding the practical enforcement of the OSA and criticisms it has faced over the speed of its responses to breaches.\n\nAsked why it was seen as “sluggish” to respond to harms, Mr Griffith said the regulator is operating in a “highly litigious environment”.\n\n“We absolutely are looking to create change,” he said. “But if we run unnecessary risks we are going to get absolutely clobbered legally by what is very deep-pocketed individuals and firms.”\n\nBut he insisted the regulator had been able to move “extremely quickly” on some “new harms”, including action taken over Elon Musk’s Grok AI’s ability to digitally strip women.\n\nThe committee highlighted how findings from the Molly Rose Foundation showed children’s exposure to high-risk suicide, self-harm, and eating disorder content has “barely changed” over the last year.\n\nResponding, Mark Bunting, director of online safety strategy said Ofcom cannot currently require firms to use proactive tools to detect this harmful content. He said there was a “tension with users’ privacy and freedom of expression” which meant it could not yet implement these processes, describing them as “very intrusive”.\n\nHowever, he added the case for them is “very strong” and that the regulator is working on proposals to introduce proactive measures.\n\nThe committee also heard Ofcom has been “underwhelmed” by the overall impact of changes by the biggest tech companies including X, Meta, and Snap, but that the companies had made “important” commitments on grooming and terror content.\n\nMr Griffiths said the OSA’s requirement for services to put age gates in place had been effective in “substantively reducing” the amount of pornography children are able to access online.\n\nHowever, he admitted the “corporate change” the OSA requires is something that will take “a degree of time”.\n\nIt comes as first secretary Louise Haigh will say on Tuesday that the government will “heed the warnings” of AI experts who have highlighted the risks the technology could pose.\n\nSpeaking at the TUC annual congress in Brighton, she will acknowledge the transformative potential of AI for public services and scientific services but confirm the government is prepared to work internationally to address the risks from the technology.\n\nThe Commons Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee has called UK safety watchdog the AI Security Institute to give evidence in Parliament on 13 October.\n\n## Join our commenting forum\n\nJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies\n\n[Comments](#comments-area)", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ai-is-supercharging-online-harms-against-children-regulator-says", "canonical_source": "https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ai-supercharging-online-harms-children-ofcom-b3050558.html", "published_at": "2026-09-15 15:25:29+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-15 15:50:00.150363+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-safety", "ai-policy", "ai-ethics"], "entities": ["Ofcom", "Online Safety Act", "Oliver Griffiths", "Mark Bunting", "Anthropic", "Jacob Coxon", "Molly Rose Foundation", "Grok"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ai-is-supercharging-online-harms-against-children-regulator-says", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ai-is-supercharging-online-harms-against-children-regulator-says.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ai-is-supercharging-online-harms-against-children-regulator-says.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ai-is-supercharging-online-harms-against-children-regulator-says.jsonld"}}