China's authorities will enforce new rules on July 15, 2026, targeting the "persona" features that let AI chatbots take on humanlike identities. Major players including ByteDance's Doubao, Alibaba's Qwen and Tencent's Yuanbao say they will disable or restrict the creation of virtual characters that play the role of romantic partners or family members.
April 10, 2026 · China Cyberspace Administration
China Bans AI Virtual Partners for Minors — Chatbots Race to Pull Features
The world's first rules dedicated to emotional, anthropomorphic AI take effect July 15, 2026. Major chatbots including ByteDance's Doubao and Alibaba's Qwen are suspending humanlike persona features in response.
3,500+
non-compliant AI products removed in a four-month nationwide crackdown
100+
AI companion apps a Beijing court warned about amid a 2025 surge
Under 14
parental consent & age-tiered modes required to serve younger children
One reported harm the rules target
Earlier apps drew reports of teens spending over six hours a day chatting with virtual partners — usage-time reminders now trigger after two hours.
2 hrs
Reminder + exit path triggers
6+ hrs
Reported daily teen use
Companies shutting features before the deadline
ByteDance · Doubao
Customisable persona feature offline
Jul 15
Alibaba · Qwen
Humanlike agents Jul 10 · wider agents
Jul 15
NetEase · Miaoshi
Service shut down
Jul 14
Tencent
Similar features already removed
Done
Key obligations
Minors: virtual intimate-relationship services (virtual partners / family) bannedLabeling: identification labels required for AI-generated contentDependence: no inducement of emotional dependence; no glorifying self-harmLarge operators: safety assessment above 1M users or 100k monthly actives
Seen as protection
Usage-time limits and distress detection safeguard minors and curb addiction; protections were strengthened from the December 2025 draft.
Seen as control & risk
Critics call it a control lever dressed up as care; immediate state-directed shutdowns may drive user attrition and significant market disruption.
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