January 2026

Global News: Canadian government mulls response to X’s AI-generated sexual abuse material

The above Global News article highlighting federal discussions around X’s AI systems producing sexualized and exploitative imagery, including depicting children, underscores a critical failure in how we protect minors the digital age.

At Daughter Project, we unequivocally condemn the generation, distribution, or facilitation of child sexual abuse and exploitation material in any form. Canadian law already criminalizes all child sexual abuse and exploitation material, including both real and fictional depictions.

Yet criminalization alone is not enough.
This controversy reveals deep gaps in our legal and regulatory frameworks. Children should never be treated as content.

AI models that can output sexualized images of minors perpetuate harm by normalizing child sexualization, risking revictimization of survivors, and lowering barriers into exploitative behaviour. Far from being harmless, such content contributes to real-world risk and exploitation.

We call on the Government of Canada to:

• Pass strong online safety and digital harms legislation that includes enforceable standards for platforms and AI developers.

• Mandate swift takedown provisions for any exploitative content, including AI-generated sexual material involving minors.

• Implement penalties for platforms that facilitate or fail to prevent ongoing harm.

• Ensure these laws are backed by real enforcement and meaningful consequences.

Parents and caregivers cannot be the only line of defence against technologically-facilitated exploitation. Accountability must reach further.

Daughter Project is committed to ending child sexual exploitation through awareness, prevention, and advocacy.