India summons Google over AI 'kiss and hug' apps on Play Store

India's child rights watchdog, the NCPCR, has called Google in for a meeting before the end of October. The focus is on AI "kiss and hug" apps on the Play Store, which turn photos of real people into intimate videos and skip any check on consent, MediaNama reports^[1].

On October 14, ThePrint reported^[2] that some of these apps had a Play Store age rating that marked them as suitable for children aged three and up.

NCPCR Secretary Sanjeev Sharma announced child safety guidelines for social media, gaming and AI platforms, due by December. He made the announcement in New Delhi at the Trust and Safety India Festival 2026.

Sharma said the commission has already consulted industry and that the text will be out "very soon".

India's rules target the platforms that host content

The IT (Amendment) Rules, 2026 were notified in India on February 10, 2026. They require platforms to label synthetically generated content.

Apps that only generate the videos are in a grey area, according to MediaNama.

ThePrint's August 25 investigation shows what is circulating there.

• Volume: dozens of apps of this kind on Google Play in India, many of them built in India.
• Reach: several apps had passed one million downloads.
• Labelling: the videos came out with nothing to show they were AI-generated.
• Data: at least one app said it could share photos, videos and device identifiers with third parties.

For now the NCPCR guidelines are only an announcement. According to the secretary, there is an indicative deadline and the consultation has already taken place. The text, the scope and the penalties for breaches are all still unknown.

The regulator went after the app store operator

The NCPCR summoned Google. The age rating a parent sees next to an app is the one Google Play assigns.

As of October 15, "AI Kiss & Hug Video Maker" was listed on Google Play with a 3+ rating and more than 5,000 downloads, according to MediaNama^[1]. The developer is Unikwork Systems, a company based in Surat. The listing promises to turn any photo into an AI video.

Google has taken down some apps in the category, ThePrint reports. Several apps that were available in early August have gone from the store.

In December 2025, MediaNama found others rated 13+ and 16+ for "sex" and "sexual innuendo".

Google's policy already bans apps that create non-consensual sexual deepfakes. It also bans generative AI content designed for sexual gratification.

In other words, the NCPCR is holding the store to rules the store wrote itself. A policy only becomes governance when a named role is accountable for enforcing it, and that is the governance signal from the Indian case.

What to ask anyone publishing AI apps in India today

Organisations distributing generative AI apps in India can cut their exposure by answering three questions before December.

1. Age rating: which person, named and with a documented role, signs off the age rating of every app that generates images or videos of real people?
2. Consent: what proof of consent does the app collect from the person pictured before it creates the video?
3. Labelling: does every video carry the synthetic-content label that the 2026 IT Rules require from platforms?

The Chief Risk Officer's risk register needs a new entry. Intimate content created from other people's photos belongs on the risk map alongside privacy and security.

Key dates through December

• February 10, 2026: IT (Amendment) Rules, 2026 notified, with a labelling obligation for platforms. Jurisdiction: India.
• Late October 2026: meeting between the NCPCR and Google on "kiss and hug" apps. Status: summoned.
• By December 2026: NCPCR child safety guidelines for social media, gaming and AI. Status: announced, with the consultation already completed according to the commission.

The first thing to watch is the outcome of the late-October meeting.