The UK government has unveiled a new strategy to combat violence against women and girls that places protecting young people online at its core, with a particular focus on tackling AI-enabled sexual abuse. Central to the plan are new legal and technical measures aimed at preventing the creation and spread of non-consensual nude images, including those generated using artificial intelligence.
Under the strategy, ministers have pledged to work with technology companies to make it impossible for children to take, share, or view nude images on their devices. The government says these protections are designed to prevent grooming, sexual extortion, bullying, and harassment before harm occurs. The initiative builds on existing smartphone nudity detection tools and emerging safety technologies developed by UK-based firms.
A key legislative element of the strategy is a proposed ban on so-called “nudification” tools—AI-powered apps that digitally strip clothing from images of real people to create fake nude photos or videos without consent. While sharing non-consensual sexual deepfakes is already criminalized, the new offense would target the creation and supply of these tools themselves, allowing police to pursue the companies and individuals behind them.
Government data and independent research highlight the scale of the problem. In 2023, more than 276,000 sexual deepfakes were identified on a single website, with women depicted in the vast majority of cases. The Internet Watch Foundation reports that nine in ten cases of child sexual abuse imagery involve images originally taken by children, often under coercion, and that nearly one in five reports this year involved AI manipulation.
Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips said nudification apps “devastate young people’s lives” and pledged tough action against those who profit from them. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall added that AI must not be “weaponized” to abuse women and girls, promising to use the full force of the law to protect victims.
Campaigners and child protection groups have welcomed the measures, urging swift implementation and mandatory safeguards across platforms. The government says the strategy marks the largest crackdown on violence against women and girls in British history, with prevention and online safety at its heart.
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