China Implements New Regulations for AI Companion Chatbots

China has introduced new national rules targeting anthropomorphic AI interactive services, which are systems designed to mimic human behavior and engage in emotional conversations. The regulations, known as the Interim Measures, took effect on July 15, 2026, and aim to prevent AI from interfering with human relationships or undermining social order.

Under the new requirements from the Cyberspace Administration of China, service providers must clearly disclose to users when they are interacting with an AI. Platforms are also mandated to send usage reminders to users every two hours and must take active steps to prevent emotional dependence or addiction.

The rules impose stricter limits for younger users, barring minors under 18 from engaging in virtual intimate relationships with AI. Additionally, children under 14 are required to obtain parental consent before using these interactive services. Companies that violate these measures face fines of up to 200,000 yuan.

Major tech firms including ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent preemptively limited or disabled certain companion-style and personalized AI features across their platforms, such as Doubao, Qwen, and Yuanbao, ahead of the rules taking effect. These changes impacted millions of users.

These measures build upon a regulatory framework that began with generative AI rules in 2023 and content-labeling requirements in 2025. In September 2026, a campaign resulted in the removal of over 5.61 million unlawful AI-generated items.

The new mandates may impact engagement metrics for companion apps, which often rely on long user sessions. Traders and observers are now watching to see how aggressively the Cyberspace Administration of China enforces these measures and whether the disabled features on major platforms will return in a compliant format.