The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has summoned Google to a meeting later this month over AI ‘kiss and hug’ apps on the Play Store that generate intimate videos using photographs of real people without verifying their consent. ThePrint reported on October 14 that some of the apps carried Google Play age ratings indicating they were suitable for children as young as three.
NCPCR Member-Secretary Sanjeev Sharma also said the commission will issue child safety guidelines for social media, gaming and AI platforms by December. “We have already had consultation with them. Now we are coming up with the guidelines very soon,” Sharma said at the Trust and Safety India Festival (TASI) 2026 in New Delhi.
What are AI ‘kiss and hug’ apps?
Users upload one or two photos, and the app’s AI generates a short video of the people in them hugging or kissing. The apps market this as a novelty, such as a kiss with a partner or a hug with a distant relative, and some offer to animate photos of people who have died.
The Print’s August 25 investigation found dozens of such apps on Google Play in India, many built in India. It found:
- Wide reach: Several apps had over a million downloads.
- No AI labels: The videos carried no label marking them as AI-generated.
- Data sharing: At least one app said in its data-safety section that it may share users’ photos, videos and device identifiers with third parties.
Are the apps still on the Play Store?
As of October 15, ‘AI Kiss & Hug Video Maker’, developed by Surat-based Unikwork Systems, remained listed on Google Play with an age rating of 3+ and over 5,000 downloads. Its listing says users can upload any photo and turn it into an AI video. Google has removed some apps in this category, and several available in early August have disappeared from the store, ThePrint reported.
Google Play lists “AI Kiss & Hug Video Maker” as suitable for ages 3+, with screenshots showing a “Crush” photo turned into a kissing video. Source: MediaNama, October 15, 2026
MediaNama found several such apps on Google Play in December 2025:
- Age ratings: Some were rated 13+, and others 16+ for “sex” and “sexual innuendo.”
- Advertising: One app, AI Catch, advertised on YouTube with the line “Bas do photo upload karo” (upload two photos), followed by a video of a woman kissing a man.
- Google’s own rules: Google’s policy bars apps that create non-consensual deepfake sexual material or generative AI content meant for sexual gratification.
Do India’s IT Rules cover them? India’s rules on AI content and intimate imagery target platforms that host content, leaving apps that only generate it in a grey area:
- AI labelling: The Information Technology (IT) Amendment Rules, 2026, notified on February 10, require platforms to label synthetically generated content. ThePrint noted the rules were written with social media platforms in mind, and it is unclear whether they apply to a standalone app that only generates the video.
- Takedowns: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s (MeitY) November 2025 standard operating procedure on non-consensual intimate imagery requires platforms to remove reported content within 24 hours, but sets no obligations for app stores.
What will the guidelines require? The guidelines will require, according to ThePrint’s sources:
- Age assurance: Controls on social media based on users’ age.
- Reporting options: For short-video formats such as Reels.
- AI content: Stricter norms across all platforms, including for AI-generated content.
The Ministry of Women and Child Development and other government bodies may propose additions to the guidelines over time, ThePrint reported.
The NCPCR first announced plans for a social media code of conduct during a MeitY consultation on August 20, and that it was preparing the code with MeitY, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) and social media companies. As guidelines, the code would not bind platforms. The Supreme Court asked the Centre in September to consider binding rules for minors’ social media accounts, either under the IT Rules or a separate law.
Sharma said the commission chose guidelines over legislation for speed. “If you ask me to change legislation, it will take time. You have to go to the Parliament, and it’s a long process,” he said. “Regulation does not mean that we are regulating social media. We firmly believe that it needs to be co-regulated.”
WCD Minister Annapurna Devi directed the NCPCR this week to fast-track both the guidelines and an AI tool to detect child sexual abuse material (CSAM), which the commission is building with MeitY. Sharma said the NCPCR will share the tool with state police departments.
Has NCPCR tried this before? The NCPCR met Google, YouTube, Meta, X, Snapchat, ShareChat, Reddit and Bumble in 2024, and asked them to obtain parental consent for minors and verify users through know-your-customer (KYC) procedures. Under the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Rules, platforms must obtain verifiable parental consent before processing data of anyone under 18 from May 2027.
Also read:
- A children’s social media ban is the government’s call, says Delhi HC. Here’s what parents at our discussions flagged
- Meta reaches $16.68 billion settlement in US child safety case: What it will change on its platforms
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