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The Department of Network Audio-visual Program Management of China's National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) has issued a notice to strengthen oversight of animated micro-dramas, including pre-broadcast review, platform-based content checks, and intensified daily and targeted inspections by provincial authorities, the Global Times confirmed with the department on Tuesday.

The notice follows the rapid rise of animated micro-dramas since late 2024. They have expanded the micro-drama format and provided new creative space, becoming a key "testing ground" for generative AI and other emerging technologies in online audiovisual content production. However, widespread unregulated distribution of animated micro-dramas has also been on the rise, with "some value-related issues already addressed in live-action micro-dramas reappearing in animated versions, highlighting the urgent need for correction and stricter oversight," according to the notice.

The department has emphasized the importance of a "classified and tiered review system" and a "pre-broadcast approval" policy. According to the notice, animated micro-dramas are micro-dramas presented in animated form, and their distribution must comply with existing micro-drama regulations by implementing a classified and tiered review system as well as a pre-broadcast approval process. These programs, which often blur the lines with traditional cartoons, can lead to misaligned content exposure for minors. Thus, content review should meet the standards applied to live-action micro-dramas while fully considering the healthy growth development of minors, with stricter guidelines and more careful oversight.

Broadcasting platforms are also required to fulfill their primary responsibility in the broadcasting process by incorporating animated micro-dramas into their content review mechanisms and must not distribute programs that have not been pre-approved, according to the notice.

Provincial broadcasting authorities are tasked with enhancing daily inspections and targeted spot checks of animated micro-dramas within their jurisdictions. They are expected to report their findings to the department on a monthly basis.

"Animated micro-dramas have rapidly emerged with the spread of generative AI technology, but unregulated distribution and value-related issues have also arisen, posing significant potential risks to minors and other audiences and seriously affecting the healthy development of the content ecosystem and the stability of social values," Zhang Peng, an associate professor at Nanjing Normal University, told the Global Times on Tuesday, noting, "The policy's introduction is therefore considered timely."

According to Zhang, animated content naturally attracts minors, so it requires standards higher than those for general content. Producers and platforms should revise any content that could mislead young viewers to ensure that animated micro-dramas serve as cultural products beneficial to the healthy development of youth.

"These measures are highly targeted, introducing classified and tiered review systems and protections for minors. They avoid a one-size-fits-all approach that could stifle innovation while providing necessary safeguards against unchecked industry growth, laying the groundwork for the orderly development of animated micro-dramas," noted Zhang.