The Dalai Lama has issued a statement of apology after a video of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader purportedly kissing a child on the lips sparked a social media outcry.

The clip that went viral on social media shows the top Buddhist spiritual leader kissing a young boy during what appears to be a public interaction. The Dalai Lama is then seen sticking out his tongue and can be heard asking the child to suck it.

Media reported that the video was taken in a suburb of Dharamshala city in northern India, on February 28.

A statement from the Dalai Lama's office in Dharamshala, published on Monday, apologized over a recent meeting where the young boy asked if he could give the spiritual head "a hug."

The statement, however, did not refer to the words in the video.

"His Holiness wishes to apologize to the boy and his family, as well as his many friends across the world, for the hurt his words may have caused," the Dalai Lama's office said.

"His Holiness often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful way, even in public and before cameras. He regrets the incident," it added.

In 2019, the Nobel Peace Prize winner had found himself in the middle of a controversy when he said in a BBC interview that if his successor were to be a woman, "she should be attractive."

He apologized for his comments soon after.

Edited by: Richard Connor