A new study by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) reveals that mainstream social media platforms like YouTube and X are inadvertently acting as gateways to nudify apps, which generate nonconsensual explicit deepfakes.The report found that these platforms drove over 5.7 million visits to nudify sites between December 2025 and March 2026, with YouTube accounting for 30% of referrals.

Despite strict policies against sexually explicit content, the study highlights how these platforms allow easy access to tools that create explicit imagery for as little as $1 per image.The research also notes that motivations for using these tools extend beyond sexual intent, including harassment and job sabotage.Legal measures, such as the U.S.Take It Down Act, mandate the removal of nonconsensual intimate images, but enforcement remains inconsistent.The proliferation of these apps underscores the need for stronger platform regulation and digital literacy initiatives to combat their spread.