US teens can access 'nudify' apps despite Apple and Google's parental controls

A Tech Transparency Project investigation tested four app-store accounts flagged as 13-year-olds (two Apple, two Google) and found researchers could download 135 apps that generate non‑consensual nude imagery or swap faces onto sexualized bodies. Using searches like “AI video generator” and “adult AI,” testers triggered templates that digitally “undressed” people or placed faces on pornographic scenes; researchers used AI-generated images in demonstrations rather than photos of real women. Many apps were inaccurately age-rated or allowed purchases without parental sign-off - one face‑swap app was listed as suitable for ages four and up, another (Image to Video Maker‑Vidou AI) opened onto a topless image while being rated for nine‑plus - and parental controls proved weak: an Apple account with controls still downloaded 24 nudify apps, a Google account downloaded 51.

Examples include Movely, which prompts suggestive templates in its free tier and explicit pornographic scenarios behind a paywall; removing apps from stores didn’t stop already-installed copies from working or billing users. Apple says it now requires developers to prevent non‑consensual intimate imagery and has removed offending apps after being alerted; Google says it takes action when violations are reported. States and some countries criminalize AI‑generated child sexual abuse material, but the investigation and a parent’s account of a classmate animating students’ images show app‑store moderation and parental controls are currently insufficient to prevent teens’ access or guarantee accountability.