Preview: Child Endangerment

Policy preview (effective January 22, 2025)

This article previews changes from our April 2024 policy updates.

We’re introducing a Child Safety Standards policy requiring Social and Dating apps to follow specific standards and self-certify compliance on Play Console before publishing.

To view the current “Child Endangerment” article, visit this page.

Apps that do not prohibit users from creating, uploading, or distributing content that facilitates the exploitation or abuse of children will be subject to immediate removal from Google Play. This includes all child sexual abuse materials. To report content on a Google product that may exploit a child, click Report abuse. If you find content elsewhere on the internet, please contact the appropriate agency in your country directly. 

We prohibit the use of apps to endanger children. This includes but is not limited to use of apps to promote predatory behavior towards children, such as:

• Inappropriate interaction targeted at a child (for example, groping or caressing).
• Child grooming (for example, befriending a child online to facilitate, either online or offline, sexual contact and/or exchanging sexual imagery with that child).
• Sexualization of a minor (for example, imagery that depicts, encourages or promotes the sexual abuse of children or the portrayal of children in a manner that could result in the sexual exploitation of children).
• Sextortion (for example, threatening or blackmailing a child by using real or alleged access to a child’s intimate images).
• Trafficking of a child (for example, advertising or solicitation of a child for commercial sexual exploitation).

We will take appropriate action, which may include reporting to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, if we become aware of content with child sexual abuse materials. If you believe a child is in danger of or has been subject to abuse, exploitation, or trafficking, please contact your local law enforcement and contact a child safety organization listed here.

In addition, apps that appeal to children but contain adult themes are not allowed, including but not limited to:

• Apps with excessive violence, blood, and gore.
• Apps that depict or encourage harmful and dangerous activities.

We also don’t allow apps that promote negative body or self image including apps that depict for entertainment purposes plastic surgery, weight loss, and other cosmetic adjustments to a person's physical appearance.

Child Safety Standards Policy Google Play requires Social and Dating apps to comply with our Child Safety Standards policy. These apps must: Have Published Standards: Your app must explicitly prohibit Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSAE) in publicly accessible standards, such as your app’s terms of service, community guidelines or any other publicly available user policy documentation. Provide an In-App Mechanism for User Feedback: You must self-certify that you provide a mechanism within your app for users to submit feedback, concerns, or reports in your app. Address CSAM: You must self-certify that your app takes appropriate action, including but not limited to removing CSAM, after obtaining actual knowledge of it, in accordance with your published standards and relevant laws. Comply with Child Safety Laws: You must self-certify that your app complies with applicable child safety laws and regulations, including but not limited to, having a process in place to report confirmed CSAM to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children or your relevant regional authority. Provide a Child Safety Point of Contact: Your app must provide a designated point of contact to receive potential notifications from Google Play about CSAE content found in your app or on your platform. This representative must be positioned to speak to your enforcement and review procedures and to take action if required. Learn more here about these requirements and how to comply in our Help Center article.