China has imposed new restrictions on artificial intelligence applications, prohibiting minors from forming emotional relationships or emotional attachments with chatbots, in the latest regulatory step aimed at curbing the growing psychological and social impacts of these technologies.

These measures come at a time when global concerns are rising about some users' excessive reliance on AI chatbots, after some cases were linked to tragic incidents and lawsuits against major companies such as OpenAI and Meta.

Ban on Virtual Companion Apps for Children

According to a report published by The Wall Street Journal, the new regulations ban all virtual relationships involving emotional attachment or emotional dependence between minors and AI chatbots.

The new rules also require developers of virtual companion apps to subject their products to a regulatory assessment before making them available to the public, while granting authorities broader powers to suspend any service they deem potentially harmful to users.

Concerns Beyond Mental Health

Chinese authorities' concerns are not limited to the psychological impact of these apps, as experts within the country believe that unregulated use of artificial intelligence could also affect the labor market, the education sector, and birth rates.

The last point is of particular importance amid China's ongoing population decline.

Historic Decline in Birth Rates

In 2025, China experienced a population decline for the fourth consecutive year, recording the lowest birth rate in the country's history, which until recently was the world's most populous nation.

Some officials and researchers believe that the spread of emotional relationships with virtual characters may increase young people's reluctance to form real-life relationships, which could worsen the demographic crisis facing the country.

Growing Reliance on Artificial Intelligence

Local studies indicate that more than 70% of users in China have shown varying degrees of reliance on AI tools, while about 23% reported using them regularly in their daily lives.

China has also seen the spread of unconventional phenomena, such as using artificial intelligence to virtually resurrect deceased individuals for interaction, along with apps that allow the creation of virtual characters that simulate human relationships in an advanced manner.

The new regulations reflect China's trend toward tightening control over artificial intelligence applications, especially those that simulate human relationships, in an attempt to strike a balance between benefiting from technology and mitigating its social and psychological effects, particularly on children and adolescents.

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