Overview
- Regulators have escalated a two‑month campaign launched in September, disciplining bloggers and influencers for messages promoting burnout, less work, or opting out of marriage and children.
- Government messaging labels targeted material as “excessively pessimistic,” widening controls from political dissent to expressions of weariness and defeatism.
- Reports cite bans on top creators who endorsed “lying flat,” a commentator who said China lags the West in quality of life, and the removal of influencer Hu Chenfeng’s accounts.
- Platforms face closer scrutiny of moderation, with Weibo reported to have closed more than 1,500 accounts tied to speculation about the September death of actor Yu Menglong.
- Coverage links the push to economic pressures, noting roughly 19% youth unemployment, over 12 million new graduates each year, and online complaints about a policy to attract high‑end foreign talent.