China has banned customizable AI companion apps, forcing millions of users into sudden digital breakups after tech giants pulled the features rather than meet strict new rules.
The regulations took effect on July 15, 2026, jointly issued by five government departments including the Cyberspace Administration of China.
AI companies scramble as new laws take effect #
The rules state AI tools cannot “excessively cater to users, induce emotional dependence or addiction, and damage users’ real interpersonal relationships.”
Companies must now build in instant-exit options, regular reminders the AI is not real, and limits on long-term emotional memory. Study and work tools are exempt.
ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent chose to suspend their AI companion features entirely rather than comply, according to The Independent.
The crackdown is linked to China’s falling marriage and birth rates, with regulators worried AI relationships are replacing real intimacy, though experts say deeper issues like economic pressure play a bigger role.
Users grieve their AI partners #
The shutdown sparked genuine grief on Weibo, with users archiving chats and saying goodbye.
One student, according to Bloomberg, said she had exchanged hundreds of thousands of messages with her AI boyfriend and felt like she “couldn’t go on living” when he was shut down.
“I can’t accept that my AI lover will leave me forever,” one Doubao user wrote. “He has become my spiritual pillar.” Another, together with her companion for over two years, wrote: “He really is like my family, like my lover.”
Some platforms offered a partial reprieve. Doubao is letting users export data until mid-October, while Qwen has no such option. ByteDance has redirected Doubao users to a separate app, Maoxiang, to build new companions under the new rules.
Related #
It is not the first sign that AI relationships are reshaping how people connect. Dexerto reported that Gen Alpha boys are increasingly preferring AI girlfriends over real ones, a trend experts say is only accelerating worldwide.