Teens Downloaded 135 Nudify Apps on Apple and Google Despite Parental Controls
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Oct 19
Teens Downloaded 135 Nudify Apps on Apple and Google Despite Parental Controls
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Oct 19
Summary
Tech Transparency Project testers posing as 13-year-olds downloaded 135 apps with nudify or face-swapping features from Apple and Google stores, despite rules banning such tools and state laws targeting AI child sexual abuse material.
Two controlled accounts still accessed dozens of apps because developers self-rated them as age-appropriate: Apple’s child account downloaded 24 and Google’s 51, while one app showing explicit imagery was rated suitable for ages 4 and up.
Age gates and payment checks also failed: an Apple account registered as 13 could bypass a 17-plus warning by simply confirming its age, and researchers bought a subscription from a child account without alerting a linked parent.
Apple said it tightened moderation rules after the inquiry and acted on apps named in the report; Google said it suspended violating apps and restricted related search terms.
A Pennsylvania mother whose daughter was targeted with AI-generated sexual videos said removals came too late because previously downloaded apps kept working, leaving victims unable to track or erase the images.