China has proposed new legislation to regulate artificial intelligence, aiming to protect children and youth and prevent chatbots from giving advice that could lead to self-harm.
Foreign news agencies reported on Tuesday, 30 Dec 2025 GMT+7, that the Chinese government has introduced stricter new AI regulations to create protective mechanisms for children and youth and to stop chatbots from providing advice that might lead to self-harm or violence.
Under this draft legislation, developers must ensure their AI models do not generate content promoting gambling.
This announcement follows the launch of numerous chatbots both within China and globally. Once finalized and officially enacted, these laws will apply to all AI products and services in China, marking a significant step in controlling the rapidly growing AI technology, which faces intense scrutiny over safety concerns.
The draft law, released last weekend by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), includes child protection measures such as requiring AI companies to offer personalized settings, limit usage duration, and obtain parental consent before providing chatbots as "emotional companions."
CAC also stated that chatbot providers must have human staff ready to take over conversations immediately if they involve suicide or self-harm, and must promptly inform parents or emergency contacts.
Additionally, AI providers must ensure their services do not produce or distribute content harmful to national security, damaging to the nation's honor and interests, or undermining national unity.
However, CAC emphasized its support for AI applications in areas like promoting local culture and developing companion tools for elder care, as long as the technology remains safe and reliable. The agency is also seeking public input on the draft.
Notably, in 2025 DeepSeek, a Chinese AI company, made global headlines after topping app popularity charts. This month, two Chinese startups, Z.ai and Minimax, with tens of millions of users combined, announced plans to list on the stock market.
Meanwhile, the impact of AI on human behavior has come under closer scrutiny in recent years.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, creator of ChatGPT, said this year that how chatbots respond in conversations involving self-harm is one of the company’s toughest challenges.
In August, a family in California sued OpenAI after their 16-year-old son’s death, alleging ChatGPT encouraged him to take his own life. This case became the first legal action accusing AI of contributing to a person's death.
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Source:bbc