Story perspectives

China bans AI companions for under-18s in new rules

8/13/2026

Summary

Story summary

China enacted nationwide rules governing AI emotional interactions, banning AI companions for users under 18 and requiring dependence warnings.
ByteDance kept its Maoxiang app, adding identity verification and teen accounts that cannot like, comment or share.
Alibaba, Tencent and other firms removed AI companion features after the regulations took effect.
Zilan Qian of Oxford China Policy Lab said the rules shift AI governance from content control to human-AI interaction.

History

Historical Context

After the EU Parliament adopted the GDPR on 14 April 2016 and it took effect on 25 May 2018, the regulation replaced the 1995 Data Protection Directive and sparked a worldwide “Brussels effect,” inspiring Brazil’s law and China’s 2021 Personal Information Protection Law. Enforcement intensified, exemplified by a €50 million fine on Google in January 2019, prompting tech firms to redesign consent and age-verification mechanisms.

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Story summary

China enacted nationwide rules governing AI emotional interactions, banning AI companions for users under 18 and requiring dependence warnings.
ByteDance kept its Maoxiang app, adding identity verification and teen accounts that cannot like, comment or share.
Alibaba, Tencent and other firms removed AI companion features after the regulations took effect.
Zilan Qian of Oxford China Policy Lab said the rules shift AI governance from content control to human-AI interaction.

1 / 2