Overview
- China's 'Interim Measures,' which took effect on July 15, prohibit AI services designed to induce emotional dependence, including virtual partners and simulated intimate relationships.
- Major platforms including ByteDance, Alibaba, Tencent and NetEase have removed or suspended companion and custom‑agent features instead of implementing complex age‑verification or monitoring systems.
- The regulations require technical safeguards such as age checks and parental consent for minors, instant‑exit options, regular reminders that the bot is not real, limits on long‑term memory and emotional‑distress detection with crisis interventions.
- The shutdowns have prompted users to archive and export chat histories during platform windows — for example Doubao offers read‑only access and exports until October 15 — and have produced visible grief and reports of emotional distress on social media.
- The move builds on China’s prior youth‑protection rules for games and social apps and creates a precedent likely to change product design at home and influence international debates over how to govern human‑like AI.