{"slug": "chinese-regulator-drafts-rules-to-protect-teenagers-from-intimate-ai-companions", "title": "Chinese regulator drafts rules to protect teenagers from ‘intimate’ AI companions", "summary": "China's Cyberspace Administration of China has drafted rules titled \"Ensuring minors' safe and healthy use of the internet\" that would ban online platforms from offering \"virtual intimacy services\", including \"virtual relatives or companions\", to users under 18. The draft, published two months after China introduced its first dedicated rules governing humanlike AI interaction, also requires platforms to activate minors' mode for online games, social sites and AI services that \"could affect the cognition of\" users under 16.", "body_md": "# Chinese regulator drafts rules to protect teenagers from ‘intimate’ AI companions\n\nThe latest proposals come two months after China introduced its first dedicated rules governing humanlike AI interaction\n\n[Minxiao Chang](https://www.scmp.com/author/minxiao-chang)in Shenzhen\n\nChina’s top internet watchdog has drafted new rules to regulate how social platforms and game developers should protect minors, including a ban on offering “virtual intimacy services” to those under 18 as artificial intelligence-powered companions gain traction.\n\nThe rules, titled “Ensuring minors’ safe and healthy use of the internet”, would ban online platforms from providing “virtual relatives or companions”, and prohibit them from offering services that “induce minors to become addicted or otherwise harm or may seriously affect their physical and mental health”.\n\n[Cyberspace Administration of China.](https://www.scmp.com/topics/cyberspace-administration-china?module=inline&pgtype=article)\n\nThe document requires platforms to activate minors’ mode when operating online games, social sites and offering AI services that “could affect the cognition of” users under 16.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/chinese-regulator-drafts-rules-to-protect-teenagers-from-intimate-ai-companions", "canonical_source": "https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3368252/chinese-regulator-drafts-rules-protect-teenagers-intimate-ai-companions?utm_source=rss_feed", "published_at": "2026-09-21 09:30:21+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-21 09:52:58.379047+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-policy", "ai-ethics", "ai-products", "artificial-intelligence"], "entities": ["Cyberspace Administration of China", "China"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/chinese-regulator-drafts-rules-to-protect-teenagers-from-intimate-ai-companions", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/chinese-regulator-drafts-rules-to-protect-teenagers-from-intimate-ai-companions.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/chinese-regulator-drafts-rules-to-protect-teenagers-from-intimate-ai-companions.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/chinese-regulator-drafts-rules-to-protect-teenagers-from-intimate-ai-companions.jsonld"}}