China moves to regulate digital humans, bans addictive services for children

## Summary
Advertisement East Asia China moves to regulate digital humans, bans addictive services for children An AI sign is seen at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, China on Jul 6, 2023. (Photo: REUTERS/Aly Song) 03 Apr 2026 06:38PM Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST BEIJING: China's cyberspace regulator issued draft regulations on Friday (Apr 3) to oversee the development online of digital humans, requiring clear labelling and banning services that could mislead children or fuel addiction. The Cyberspace Administration of China's proposed rules would require prominent "digital human" labels on all virtual human content and prohibit digital humans from providing "virtual intimate relationships" to those under 18, according to rules published for public comment until May 6. Sign up for our newsletters Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox Subscribe here Get the CNA app Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories Download here Get WhatsApp alerts Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app Join here Related Topics China artificial intelligence avatars digital avatar digital service Advertisement Also worth reading Content is loading...

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East Asia
China moves to regulate digital humans, bans addictive services for children
An AI sign is seen at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, China on Jul 6, 2023. (Photo: REUTERS/Aly Song)
03 Apr 2026 06:38PM
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BEIJING: China's cyberspace regulator issued draft regulations on Friday (Apr 3) to oversee the development online of digital humans, requiring clear labelling and banning services that could mislead children or fuel addiction.
The Cyberspace Administration of China's proposed rules would require prominent "digital human" labels on all virtual human content and prohibit digital humans from providing "virtual intimate relationships" to those under 18, according to rules published for public comment until May 6.
The draft regulations would also ban the use of other people's personal information to create digital humans without consent, or using virtual humans to bypass identity verification systems, reflecting Beijing's efforts to maintain control in the face of advances in artificial intelligence.
Digital humans are also prohibited from disseminating content that endangers national security, inciting subversion of state power, promoting secession or undermining national unity, the draft rules said.
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Service providers are advised to prevent and resist content that is sexually suggestive, depicts horror, cruelty or incites discrimination based on ethnicity or region, according to the document.
Providers are also encouraged to take necessary measures to intervene and provide professional assistance when users exhibit suicidal or self-harming tendencies.
China made clear its ambitions to aggressively adopt AI throughout its economy in the
new five-year policy blueprint
issued last month.
The push comes alongside tightening governance in the booming industry to ensure safety and alignment with the country's socialist values.
The new rules aim to fill a gap in governance in the digital human sector, setting clear red lines for the healthy development of the industry, according to an analysis published on the cyberspace regulator's website.
"The governance of digital virtual humans is no longer merely an issue of industry norms; rather, it has become a strategic scientific problem that concerns the security of the cyberspace, public interests, and the high-quality development of the digital economy," it added.
Related:
China is betting on bigger tech hubs for growth, but analysts warn of old risks
Source: Reuters
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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less Service providers are advised to prevent and resist content that is sexually suggestive, depicts horror, cruelty or incites discrimination based on ethnicity or region, according to the document.
- The new rules aim to fill a gap in governance in the digital human sector, setting clear red lines for the healthy development of the industry, according to an analysis published on the cyberspace regulator's website. "The governance of digital virtual humans is no longer merely an issue of industry norms; rather, it has become a strategic scientific problem that concerns the security of the cyberspace, public interests, and the high-quality development of the digital economy," it added.

### Implications
- Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST BEIJING: China's cyberspace regulator issued draft regulations on Friday (Apr 3) to oversee the development online of digital humans, requiring clear labelling and banning services that could mislead children or fuel addiction.
- The Cyberspace Administration of China's proposed rules would require prominent "digital human" labels on all virtual human content and prohibit digital humans from providing "virtual intimate relationships" to those under 18, according to rules published for public comment until May 6.
- China made clear its ambitions to aggressively adopt AI throughout its economy in the new five-year policy blueprint issued last month.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers digital, china, humans topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 631.