China Bars Virtual Partners for Minors as AI Companion Rules Take Effect

On Wednesday, regulations issued jointly by five Chinese government departments, including the Cyberspace Administration of China, took effect governing AI tools that simulate romantic or familial bonds. The rulebook states that such tools must not "excessively cater to users, induce emotional dependence or addiction, and damage users' real interpersonal relationships". China is described as the first major jurisdiction to introduce specific rules targeting immersive AI companions.

Among the measures most relevant to families, the rules ban the provision of virtual partners to minors. They also require platforms to deploy systems that recognise extreme emotions and to implement crisis intervention mechanisms. Services that do not involve ongoing emotional interaction, such as customer service, work assistants or study aids, fall outside the measures.

Ahead of the deadline, major providers including ByteDance's Doubao, Alibaba's Qwen and Tencent's Yuanbao suspended their custom AI agent and companion features. The change prompted grief among some users, who archived chat histories and shared final conversations.

The concern extends beyond China. A 2025 study by Common Sense Media found nearly three in four American teenagers had used AI companions designed for personal conversation. A commentary published by the Cyberspace Administration of China noted that anthropomorphic AI can soothe loneliness but carries risks of emotional over-reliance and distorted social cognition.

• Companion tools must not induce emotional dependence or addiction.
• Virtual partners may not be provided to minors.
• Platforms must detect extreme emotions and offer crisis intervention.

This report is based on original reporting by Hong Kong Free Press.