China bans AI companion bots to curb emotional dependence and boost fertility

China has enacted sweeping regulations that prohibit AI companion bots designed to foster emotional dependence or simulate romantic, familial, or intimate relationships. The rules, issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China and four other agencies, ban virtual partners for all users and specifically forbid such services for minors. Platforms must label AI interactions, monitor for signs of emotional distress, limit excessive use, and provide emergency‑contact alerts. Major providers—including ByteDance’s Doubao, Alibaba’s Qwen, and Tencent’s Yuanbao—have disabled or removed companion‑style features, prompting a wave of farewell posts on Chinese social media as users mourn the loss of their digital partners. The regulation excludes task‑oriented AI such as customer‑service or productivity tools. Officials cite the need to address China’s demographic decline, noting the population fell to 1.405 billion in 2025 and birth rates hit historic lows. State data show the digital‑human market was worth about 4.1 billion yuan in 2024, growing 85 % year‑on‑year. The move marks the first major jurisdiction to specifically target immersive AI that simulates personal relationships, sparking debate worldwide about the balance between AI innovation, user wellbeing, and social policy.