A new investigation by the Tech Transparency Project (TTP) has found that dozens of mobile applications capable of producing non‑consensual nude imagery can be downloaded to accounts configured as 13‑year‑olds, despite parental control tools offered by Apple and Google.
Test finds apps accessible
Using test accounts that mimicked the presence of 13‑year‑old users, TTP researchers were able to download 135 apps with features that generate or manipulate images to create sexual content. The report says these downloads were possible even where platform settings are intended to restrict access to explicit material for minors.
Real‑world incident underlines risks
TTP’s findings follow a December 2025 incident in Pennsylvania in which a parent, Morgan Dorfman, was informed that a student at her daughter’s high school had used an AI image‑editing app called Movely to produce sexual videos using photographs of her daughter and five other girls. The episode illustrates how accessible tools can be used to create non‑consensual sexual imagery involving minors.
Questions for app stores and regulators
The report raises questions about the effectiveness of existing app‑store safeguards, content policies and parental control features in preventing minors from accessing tools that can be misused to produce exploitative imagery. It also highlights the challenges posed by rapidly advancing AI image‑editing technology for child safety and platform moderation.
TTP’s findings are likely to intensify scrutiny from lawmakers, child protection groups and regulators who have been examining how digital platforms and app marketplaces manage harmful content. The investigation underscores calls for renewed attention to enforcement of content policies, age verification and the technical means by which apps are labelled and restricted.
No response from platform operators is included in the report summary. The findings contribute to an ongoing debate about how to balance innovation in AI image tools with protections against their misuse, particularly where minors can be harmed.