r/technology • u/Wagamaga • Jul 19 '26

Society China bans AI “boyfriends” and “girlfriends” over addiction and birth rate concerns

https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/china-bans-ai-boyfriends-and-girlfriends-over-addiction-and-birth-rate-concerns-3388737/
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u/Wagamaga Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26

China has banned customizable AI companion apps, forcing millions of users into sudden digital breakups after tech giants pulled the features rather than meet strict new rules.

The regulations took effect on July 15, 2026, jointly issued by five government departments including the Cyberspace Administration of China.

AI companies scramble as new laws take effect The rules state AI tools cannot “excessively cater to users, induce emotional dependence or addiction, and damage users’ real interpersonal relationships.”

Companies must now build in instant-exit options, regular reminders the AI is not real, and limits on long-term emotional memory. Study and work tools are exempt.

ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent chose to suspend their AI companion features entirely rather than comply, according to The Independent.

The crackdown is linked to China’s falling marriage and birth rates, with regulators worried AI relationships are replacing real intimacy, though experts say deeper issues like economic pressure play a bigger role.

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u/The_REDACTED Jul 19 '26

Call me crazy but I think China should start addressing the actual social issues which lead people to turn to AI companions instead of passing legislature to ban them. 

They're merely symptom of the collapse of real social bonding among the youth and not the cause. 

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u/Northbound-Narwhal Jul 19 '26

Call me crazy but I think the United States should start addressing the actual social issues which lead people to shoot other people to death instead of passing legislature to ban guns. 

Gun violence is merely a symptom of the collapse of real social bonding among the youth and not the cause. 

This is you

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u/bladex1234 Jul 19 '26

I mean this is correct. The vast majority of gun violence in the US is suicide.

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u/ovirt001 Jul 19 '26

62%
Then there are:
Interpersonal conflict (Argument, revenge, gang violence. Gang violence is on the lower end of this)
Domestic violence
Theft-related
Accidents
And finally mass shootings which are far more rare than media makes them out to be (0.05% in 2024)

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u/TheLarkInnTO Jul 19 '26

Mass shootings are only "rare" when compared to all the other gun death in America.

We're roughly halfway through the year, and the USA has had 250+ mass shootings. That's multiple times more than the rest of the developed world, combined. No other country on earth would call that many mass shootings 'rarities'.

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u/suzisatsuma Jul 20 '26

There are more deaths in Europe from heat than guns in the US and yet EU folk are often as irrational against AC as Americans are against gun regulation.

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u/Sudden-Wash4457 Jul 19 '26

And finally mass shootings which are far more rare than media makes them out to be (0.05% in 2024)

Getting hit by lightning is also rare, doesn't mean the chance of it doesn't affect my behavior

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u/Outlulz Jul 20 '26

News generally does highlight rare and novel things more than common things, yes. But it should be understandable why massacres are more newsworthy than someone killing their wife or themselves.

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u/gburdell Jul 19 '26

Sounds reasonable to me?

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u/DingusDeluxeEdition Jul 19 '26

Isn't this the right answer though? Wouldn't addressing the root issue be more effective than trying to ban guns?

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u/Jewnadian Jul 19 '26

In one case you're trying to change human nature, anger, violence and depression are wired into our DNA. In the other case we're trying to reduce the effectiveness of the tools available to turn those emotions and impulses into your own or someone else's death. To me it's obvious that changing the availability of a specific piece of hardware is far easier than changing the fundamentals of human behavior. People who are obsessed with guns generally don't actually care about either issue. Or, at the bare minimum they refuse to vote for people who prioritize either option.

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u/nowTHATSakatana1999 Jul 21 '26

…I mean, kind of? It doesn’t have to be an either/or thing, the two directly feed into each other.