The Children's Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, is sounding the alarm. Faced with the rise of new applications using artificial intelligence (AI) to generate sexual images of children, she is calling on the British government to take firm action. The aim: ban entirely nudification" applications before they have even more serious consequences for young people.
Table of contents
The emerging threat of "nudification apps
These applications enable a simple photo of a clothed person to be used to generate a false visual in which that person appears naked. A terrifying technological development which, according to Dame Rachel, aims to disproportionately affect young girls.
According to its report published on Monday, many teenage girls today choose to avoid posting photos or participating in online activities, for fear of being targeted.
"Children fear that a stranger, a classmate, or even a friend will use these technologies to exploit them."
Current regulations are inadequate
While the Online Safety Act prohibits sharing or threatening to share explicit images created by AI, Dame Rachel believes this is not enough.
In February 2025, the government announced new offences against owning, creating and distributing AI tools designed to produce such content. But the Commissioner insists:
“There simply shouldn't be any nudification applications.“
It calls for a ban on total of these technologies, and not simply tools labeled as creating child sexual abuse.
The scale of the problem
The phenomenon is exploding:
- 245 cases of images of children abused by AI confirmed in 2024 versus 51 in 2023.
- +380% increase in just one year (source: Internet Watch Foundation).
Derek Ray-Hill, interim CEO of the IWF, states:
"These apps are already being abused in schools, and images quickly spiral out of control."
What does Dame Rachel de Souza want?
To protect children, it makes several key recommendations:
- Impose legal obligations developers of AI tools to assess and mitigate risks to children.
- Set up a systematic mechanism for remove sexual deepfakes children on the Internet.
- Recognizing sexual deepfakes as a violence against women and girls.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT union, supports this appeal and denounces the fact that legislation is lagging behind technology.
Reaction from the government and Ofcom
The Department of Scientific and Technological Innovation reminds :
"The creation, possession and distribution of child sexual abuse materials, including by AI, is illegal."
Ofcom has also published its Children's Coderequiring platforms that make sensitive content available to strengthen age verification on pain of heavy fines.
But Dame Rachel criticizes this code, accusing Ofcom of putting commercial interests first to the detriment of children's safety.
Conclusion
Lnudification applications using AI pose an immediate threat. While technology is advancing at lightning speed, protecting children must remain an absolute priority.
Dame Rachel's call for a total ban underlines the obvious: In the race to innovate, we can't sacrifice the innocence of the young.
Legislators need to react as quickly as technology developers.
FAQ - Call for ban on AI apps creating naked images of children
Why is Dame Rachel de Souza calling for a ban on nudification apps?
Because they make it possible to create sexual images of children, exposing minors to serious psychological and physical dangers.
Visit deepfakes already illegal?
Yes, sharing or threatening to share such images is prohibited by the Online Safety Act, but Dame Rachel doesn't think that's enough.
What additional recommendations have been made?
Impose obligations on developers ofAIand consider these acts as violence against women and girls.
Is technology in danger of overtaking the law?
Yes, many experts, including Paul Whiteman, believe that the speed of development of AI loosely outstrips legislative developments.
