Tencent File photo: Xinhua

 
China's top internet regulator has summoned leading internet companies including Kuaishou, Tecent QQ, Sina Weibo and Xiaohongshu for a talk, ordering them to rectify issues related to "implicit" child pornography within a given time period. 

The regulator also moved to impose administrative fines on those platforms.

The companies were found to have disseminated "implicit" pornography emoticons on their platforms, and using short videos containing minors' sexual suggestion to attract views, according to a post on the official Wechat account of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) on Wednesday. 

The move is part of the regulator's heightened action to clean up internet environment for minors during summer vocation. 

During the action, regulators will increase punishment imposed for publishing porn-suggestive content, and will not tolerate any issues that infringe the legal rights of minor groups, in order to better protect the children and the young.

Under the action, minors aged below 16 years old are prohibited from live broadcasting on short video platforms, and any moves that induce minors to reward live-streaming hosts will be strictly prohibited.

Also, all social media platforms are obligated to address and remove content related to pornography, vulgarity, and violence during online tutoring lessons. They shall also remove cartoon and animation videos that disseminate violence, terror and other inappropriate content.

Meanwhile, the regulator will also start to scrutinize the platforms' anti-addiction measures, including addressing loopholes and ensuring optimized functioning.

Global Times