It'll Be Illegal to Send Porn Messages to Friends from Jan 1

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It'll Be Illegal to Send Pornographic Messages to Friends from Jan 1

Starting from January 1st, 2026, the newly revised "Law of the People's Republic of China on Penalties for Administration of Public Security" (hereinafter referred to as the "Law on Penalties for Administration of Public Security") will officially come into force. Among them, Article 80 clearly refines the penalty provisions for the dissemination of pornographic information and increases the penalty for such acts.

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In the past, there was a cognitive misunderstanding among the public that "the private dissemination of pornographic information is only a moral issue." The new regulations clearly correct this perception. Article 80 of the new "Law on Penalties for Administration of Public Security" clearly includes "using information networks, telephones, and other communication tools to disseminate pornographic information" in the scope of public security penalties. 

Whether the dissemination occurs in a public WeChat group or a private chat, as long as the evidence is conclusive, the offender can be detained for not less than 10 days but not more than 15 days and may also be fined not more than 5,000 yuan; if the circumstances are relatively minor, the offender will also face detention of not more than 5 days or a fine of not less than 1,000 yuan but not more than 3,000 yuan.

It is worth noting that even if one sends indecent photos or videos in a private chat, once reported and verified, legal sanctions will be imposed. 

Many netizens are raising practical concerns:

"I'm genuinely curious—how will this be enforced? Will platforms monitor messages in real time, or only act after someone files a report?"

"And what if a couple consensually shares private photos? Would that still be considered illegal? There's a lot of grey area here."

"Feels like this will be tough to implement. Too many complications, not enough clarity."

"So basically, one party could use a message as leverage later… that's risky. What if it ends up leaving a criminal record?"

Source:  36Kr, Southern Daily, Weibo

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