China Targets Micro Dramas: Authorities Crack Down on Sexualised, Violent, and Materialistic Content

China's National Radio and Television Administration has mandated provincial authorities to intensify efforts against micro dramas containing materialistic, violent, and sexualised content. The regulatory action specifically targets programming featuring soft pornography, "distorted views on marriage and relationships," and "ostentatious displays of wealth."

This campaign forms part of a wider government initiative to influence social attitudes, aiming to encourage marriages and prevent the proliferation of undesirable ideologies online. Micro dramas, which are serialised clips designed for mobile consumption, have seen a significant global surge in popularity, concurrently attracting criticism for their frequently sensationalist narratives.

These productions often feature rapid-paced plots, encompassing themes from clandestine billionaires to illicit romances, crafted to sustain viewer engagement. Additionally, many exhibit excessive violence or overtly sexualised characters.

The media administration released a statement this week, describing the campaign as being of "great significance for creating a healthy content ecosystem" within the micro drama sector. Key issues to be addressed include soft pornography, "materialism and ostentatious displays of wealth," and "distorted views on marriage and relationships." The scope also extends to "feudalistic themes, violent revenge content, vulgar titles, and copyright infringement."

Local authorities are expected to conduct unannounced inspections of production firms within their jurisdictions, which will be obliged to rectify any identified issues promptly. The administration further indicated it would perform its own inspections and refine regulations based on the campaign's findings.

The micro drama industry has burgeoned into a multi-billion-dollar sector for China, drawing substantial audiences globally, particularly across Asia and Africa. Producers in countries such as South Korea and the United States have invested in establishing their own micro drama studios to capitalise on this burgeoning market.

Last year, the sector's expansion led the Chinese government to stipulate that high-profile and sensitive micro drama productions must secure official approval. Major Chinese platforms like WeChat and Douyin (the country's equivalent of TikTok) have also previously undertaken crackdowns to remove sexually suggestive material and address micro dramas promoting ideologies such as youth misconduct, vigilantism, or materialism.

Under President Xi Jinping, Beijing has actively sought to influence social attitudes, fostering healthy relationships and discouraging the ostentatious display of wealth, particularly as the nation confronts various economic challenges. Xi has consistently advocated for a "common prosperity" policy, which aims to reduce China's widening wealth disparity—a politically sensitive issue within the country.