Report Shows Teen Accounts Easily Download 'Nudify' AI Apps on Major App Stores

In several instances, explicitly marketed software received ratings deemed safe for young children. One face-swapping platform was classified as suitable for ages four and up despite featuring promotions that depicted oral sex, enabling researchers to purchase an in-app subscription from a 13-year-old's account without triggering a parental notification. Another application, Image to Video Maker-Vidou AI, carried a 9+ rating while displaying a topless woman upon launch and advertising its capacity to undress photos using examples of female celebrities. Furthermore, Apple’s age verification allowed a registered 13-year-old user to bypass adult-content pop-up warnings simply by clicking an on-screen prompt confirming they were 17 or older.

Platform responses and persistent access

Both tech giants maintain explicit bans against nonconsensual sexual content, but enforcement often lags behind distribution. Google spokesperson Dan Jackson stated that the company takes proactive steps to detect and take down harmful software, noting that violating apps were suspended and related search terms were restricted following the report.

Following inquiries from TTP, Apple updated its moderation rules, mandating that developers preemptively prevent and delete nonconsensual intimate imagery, including AI-generated deepfakes. Apple spokesperson Adam Dema pointed out that several titles cited in the report were standard photo editors without deepfake capabilities, adding that malicious developers sometimes deploy a "bait-and-switch" approach by inserting unauthorized features after clearing App Review.

Even when platforms take enforcement action, installed software often remains active on user devices. During the study, Apple removed 25 offending apps and Google removed six, yet the downloaded applications remained functional on test devices. Dorfman encountered the same issue with Movely; although the app was delisted from the App Store, it continued working on her phone while recurring subscription fees remained active.

What it means for developers

For software engineers and product teams developing image-processing and generative AI tools, the report signals an era of heightened compliance and scrutiny from app marketplace operators:

• Mandatory guardrails at the generation level: Apple’s updated policies require developers to integrate preemptive screening tools to block nonconsensual intimate content before it can be generated or rendered.
• Scrutiny on self-reported metadata: The heavy reliance on developer-submitted age ratings is facing intense pushback. Teams building computer vision or generative features must ensure their metadata accurately reflects potential output capabilities, as misrepresenting functionality risks immediate app suspension and developer account termination.
• Closing the "bait-and-switch" loophole: Marketplace review teams are actively inspecting post-approval code updates and remote server-side model toggles to prevent generative tools from exposing unauthorized editing features later.
• Multi-model safety evaluations: Building compliant applications requires thorough stress-testing across vision and text models to prevent abuse. Developers evaluating safety baselines across leading systems can test top AI models cheaply through one API at https://apixoai.online, making it simpler to compare model behavior and safety outputs before production rollout.

Source: US teens can access ‘nudify’ apps despite Apple and Google’s parental controls, report finds — The Guardian AI. Written by the Apixo team from that report.