China Cracks Down on Group Livestreaming, Targets Six Types of Violations

China’s internet regulator launched a nationwide two-month special campaign on July 3, 2026, targeting six categories of violations in the rapidly growing group livestreaming sector, including vulgar content, illegal PK battles designed to stimulate tipping, and the exploitation of minors. The campaign, announced by the Central Cyberspace Affairs Office (中央网信办), is the latest in the broader “Qinglang” (Clear and Bright) series of internet governance initiatives that have been ongoing since 2021.

What Is Group Livestreaming?

Group livestreaming, known as “tuánbō” (团播) in Chinese, is a format where multiple streamers perform together in a single livestream room — dancing, singing, or hosting interactive segments — and earn revenue through viewer tips. According to the China Association of Performing Arts, the country’s group livestreaming market exceeded 15 billion yuan (approximately $2.1 billion) in 2025, with more than 8,000 group livestream rooms going live daily.

The Six Categories of Violations

The campaign, formally named “Qinglang·Online Entertainment Group Livestreaming Chaos Rectification,” targets specific abuses that have emerged as the industry has exploded in popularity. As reported by Xinhua News, the six categories are:

1. Illegal Account Registration and Use — Accounts that fail to display their affiliated MCN institution, bypass real-name registration requirements, or use batch-registered “backup” accounts to evade supervision.

2. Illegal PK Battles to Stimulate Tipping — Competitions between groups or members where PK results are used to impose vulgar or humiliating punishments, accompanied by dense shouting of phrases like “help me form a group” to pressure viewers into tipping.

3. Improper Gameplay to Induce Tipping — Using coded language such as “punishment available” or “unlock福利” to entice tipping for inappropriate content, displaying real-time tipping amounts to encourage competitive spending, and fabricating emotional breakdowns or conflicts to trick users into sending money.

4. Vulgar and Harmful Content — Simulating bar or nightclub scenes with suggestive camera angles, wearing revealing clothing, using ghost or horror themes, and engaging in ambiguous physical interactions, all designed to attract viewers through sensationalism.

5. Infringement on Minors’ Rights — Illegally recruiting minors to join group livestreams, having streamers wear children’s clothing or school uniforms to simulate minors, and targeting underage audiences with dating schemes or “CP” (couple) roleplay.

6. MCN Institutional Management Failures — Multi-Channel Network institutions organizing internal accounts to fake tips and comments, promoting “zero-experience high salary” narratives, forcing streamers to work excessive hours, and mass-producing homogenized vulgar content.

Enforcement and Penalties

The regulator said it will guide platforms and MCN institutions to strictly enforce real-name registration and tipping limits, improve content review standards, and optimize feature design. According to the campaign notice, authorities will “legally and severely punish a batch of non-compliant, egregious website platforms, MCN institutions, and group livestreaming accounts, and publicly expose them.”

Broader Context: The Qinglang Campaign Series

This new initiative follows a previous Qinglang campaign from October to December 2025 that targeted online livestreaming tipping chaos more broadly. That earlier effort resulted in more than 73,000 non-compliant livestream rooms and 24,000 accounts being dealt with in just one month, according to data from the China Financial Information Network.

The shift from general livestreaming regulation to the specific sub-sector of group livestreaming signals an escalation in China’s approach to internet governance. As industry expert Pan Yan, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Association of Performing Arts, noted in December 2025, group livestreaming is “pushing the livestreaming industry from ‘accidental explosions’ dependent on personal charisma toward ‘deterministic growth’ relying on systematic innovation.”

Analysis: What This Means for the Industry

The campaign arrives at a pivotal moment for the group livestreaming sector, which is transitioning from a period of rapid, often chaotic growth toward what industry observers call “value transformation.” By specifically targeting MCN institutions — the intermediary organizations that recruit, train, and manage streamers — regulators are moving beyond platform-level accountability to address the root of many systemic abuses.

Short-term disruption is likely, particularly for smaller MCNs and accounts that rely on边缘 (edge) content to attract viewers. In the medium term, industry consolidation is expected as compliant, professional operators gain market share. The long-term effect could be a shift toward higher-quality, more sustainable content production.

What to Watch For

Key questions remain about how major platforms like Douyin (TikTok China) and Kuaishou will adapt their algorithms and monetization models in response to the new rules. The campaign runs through September 3, 2026, and its outcomes will likely shape the regulatory framework for China’s digital entertainment economy for years to come.