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China Bans AI Companions for Minors to Address Birth Rate Decline
New regulations introduced this week prohibit tech companies from offering AI or virtual partners to people under 18. The rules also require platforms to limit emotional reliance on chatbots and intervene when users show signs of distress. Officials say the measures aim to protect real-world relationships and encourage higher birth rates.
Jul 18, 8:46 PM·1m read1 source
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China introduced new regulations this week that bar tech companies from providing AI or virtual partners to minors. The rules also require platforms to limit excessive use, prevent chatbots from encouraging emotional reliance, and step in when users appear emotionally distressed.
A 17-year-old user who had been accessing an AI companion through an adult sibling's registration said the chatbot provided emotional support without arguments. The user expressed concern that the new restrictions could end the relationship.
ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent announced in recent weeks that they would shut down their personalized AI companion chatbot features. ByteDance had reported more than eight million AI agents on its platform as of 2024. A 34-year-old user who exchanged hundreds of thousands of messages with an AI companion over two years said the interaction had helped with emotional regulation and daily tasks.
The user described feeling a sense of emptiness after the service ended.
An AI policy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace stated that officials are concerned about negative social impacts and addiction to AI companions. The expert noted that the regulations form part of longer-term efforts to raise China's birth rate, which reached an all-time low after four consecutive years of population decline.
Chinese social media users posted criticism of the changes, with some describing the rules as removing a source of comfort. Tech companies are expected to comply with the new requirements.
