China launches four-month crackdown on toxic AI cartoons and child influencer exploitation, with platform algorithms under review and two enforcement phases.
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China’s top cyberspace regulator has launched a four-month campaign to address harmful online content targeting minors, including disturbing AI-generated cartoons, sensational short videos, and the commercial exploitation of child internet personalities.
The Cyberspace Administration of China announced the initiative on Monday, saying it aims to create a safer and healthier digital environment for children while strengthening protections for minors across online platforms.
A major focus of the campaign is the growing use of artificial intelligence to produce inappropriate animated content. Authorities said some creators are using AI tools to distort well-known cartoon characters, insert violent or frightening scenes, and generate videos that encourage dangerous behavior.
The regulator also raised concerns about AI-generated short videos that are produced in large quantities and designed to attract attention through bizarre, graphic, or sensational imagery. Some AI applications have also been accused of creating inappropriate characters or generating vulgar and suggestive material.
Internet and AI analyst Ding Daoshi said artificial intelligence has made it much easier and cheaper to alter audiovisual content intended for children.
Creators can now add violent, disturbing, or obscene elements to cartoons within minutes and distribute them widely through short-video platforms and social media, he said.
Ding also warned that recommendation algorithms may repeatedly expose children to similar harmful material based on their viewing activity. Because minors may not yet be able to fully evaluate such content, repeated exposure could reduce their sensitivity to violence or encourage them to imitate dangerous behavior.
The campaign will also target the excessive promotion of child internet celebrities.
Authorities said some accounts create controversial online identities for children, portraying them as unusually gifted, overly mature, or physically attractive. Other staged videos present school truancy, chronic absenteeism, or passive attitudes toward life as entertaining or desirable behavior.
Platforms will be instructed to limit how often minors appear in monetized content and prevent accounts from repeatedly featuring children for commercial gain. Multi-channel network agencies will also be prohibited from using their platforms to promote or profit from child internet celebrities.
The regulator further identified serious risks involving the privacy and safety of minors.
Some users reportedly approach children online under friendly pretexts and attempt to persuade them to send private photographs. Other groups use labels such as “anime benefits” to distribute pornographic comics or illegal material specifically aimed at minors.
Authorities also highlighted the appearance of sexually suggestive emojis, vulgar comments, and inappropriate slang beneath videos featuring children, describing such behavior as harassment.
The campaign will be carried out in two stages.
The first stage will focus on the full process of content creation, distribution, and recommendation during the summer holiday period. The second stage will involve broader investigations into online risks that could harm the physical or psychological well-being of minors.
During the second phase, regulators will place greater emphasis on platform recommendation systems. Online companies will be required to improve the way they identify and restrict harmful material, including content promoting negative values, misusing images of minors, or violating children’s privacy.
Education expert Xiong Bingqi said the measures would only be effective if platforms faced stronger penalties for violations. Higher enforcement costs, he argued, could encourage companies to develop more responsible internal systems for protecting minors.
He added that online platforms should not bear the responsibility alone.
Families, schools, and society must also play an active role in helping children use AI tools and social media safely. Parents and guardians should supervise children’s online activity, teach them how to recognize harmful or misleading content, and avoid relying entirely on platform-based child protection settings.
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