China's internet regulator drafts a ban on 'virtual companions' and intimacy services for users under 18

The Cyberspace Administration of China has drafted rules that would ban online platforms from offering virtual intimacy services to anyone under 18, as AI-powered companions gain traction. The document, titled Ensuring Minors' Safe and Healthy Use of the Internet and published last Friday, would prohibit platforms from providing virtual relatives or companions to minors, and from offering services that induce minors to become addicted or that otherwise harm or may seriously affect their physical and mental health. The proposal reaches beyond AI companions. It would ban online social networking among strangers for minors, with an exception for those over 16 who rely on their own wages. Platforms would be required to activate a minors' mode when operating online games and social sites, and when offering AI services that could affect the cognition of users under 16. The rules are aimed at social platforms and game developers as well as AI providers. The South China Morning Post notes the draft comes two months after China introduced its first dedicated rules governing humanlike AI interaction. Taken together, the two measures put China among the first jurisdictions to regulate companion-style AI products specifically for minors rather than relying on general content rules. The report does not give a consultation deadline or an expected date for the rules to take effect.