China's Cyberspace Administration Targets 'Pessimism' in Latest Online Crackdown

The move is part of the ongoing Qing Lang campaign, and comes amid economic struggles and the rise of the 'lying flat' movement among Chinese youth.

China's Cyberspace Administration has announced a new crackdown on content that promotes 'pessimism', marking the first time this has been targeted.
The crackdown is part of the ongoing Qing Lang campaign, which has previously focused on limiting toxic fan cultures and 'incorrect values'.
From 2021 to 2022, the campaign resulted in the shutdown of 10,500 websites, suspension of 1.35 billion accounts, and deletion of 76 million messages.
The latest crackdown appears to be a response to the country's struggling economy and the 'lying flat' movement among Chinese youth, which rejects material achievement.
Content that has been targeted includes videos highlighting the struggles of would-be housebuyers affected by the country's property sector crisis, and posts by people who have invested in unfinished properties.