New Zealand classifies AI-generated CSAM as objectionable material under Films Act
Guardii Analysis
The New Zealand Classification Office ruled on 27 August 2024 that synthetic child sexual abuse material generated by artificial intelligence tools, including images created without any underlying real victim, meets the legal definition of objectionable material under the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993 and is subject to the same criminal penalties as photographic CSAM. The decision followed a referral from the Department of Internal Affairs and establishes that AI-generated depictions of children in sexual situations are illegal to create, possess or distribute in New Zealand, with the Chief Censor stating the material normalises child exploitation regardless of production method.
AI-generated CSAM circulates through the same direct-messaging channels as photographic abuse material and is often used by offenders in grooming to desensitise targets or as leverage in sextortion. Detection systems trained to recognise child sexual abuse material including AI-generated and deepfake content in image streams shared via Instagram, Discord, Snapchat and Roblox can block distribution before the material reaches a child and flag the sender for investigation, addressing both the possession offence and the predatory use of synthetic images as a tool of coercion in real time rather than after harm has occurred.