(ECNS) - China's broadcasting regulator has issued new guidance tightening oversight of children-themed micro-dramas, citing concerns over adult-style content and the commercial exploitation of minors.
The Network Audiovisual Programme Department of the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) said this week the rapid growth of online micro-dramas featuring children has prompted the need for clearer content boundaries and stronger protection.
Under the guidance, producers are barred from portraying child characters in adult roles or narratives designed primarily to heighten dramatic conflict.
This includes storylines involving "time travel" or "reincarnation" that justify manipulative or power-driven behavior, as well as plots depicting children as business executives, participants in school bullying, or drivers of confrontational themes.
The regulator also warned against using children as vehicles for commercial promotion. Production companies are prohibited from using child performers for celebrity-building or marketing campaigns that encourage early fame or impose excessive financial burdens on families through training or packaging fees.
In addition, the NRTA said child actors must not be subjected to excessive filming schedules or required to perform in scenes involving violence, horror or complex emotional themes that exceed their physical or psychological capacity.
The guidance further calls on producers to avoid low-quality or inappropriate content presented under the guise of comedy or artistic expression, particularly material that does not align with cognitive child development.
An NRTA official said the measures aim to strengthen safeguards for minors as short-form online video content continues to expand rapidly across Chinese platforms.
(By Zhang Jiahao)
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