China starts campaign to remove 'negative' online content ^{CEFR B2}

The Cyberspace Administration (CAC) launched a two-month campaign on September 22 to remove online content it says incites antagonism, violence and "pessimistic and negative sentiments." The campaign targets all online channels: social posts, videos, live streams, hashtags, comments, trending topics and message boards, and aims to stop the "selling" of antagonism and negative sentiment.

The CAC named many specific kinds of content as negative, from discussions of familial trauma to mutual hostility between men and women, criticism of "unambitious young people" and mockery of "bizarre bosses." Within a week four prominent mainland influencers were banned and their posts removed across platforms including Weibo, Weixin, Xiaohongshu, Kuaishou, Douyin and Bilibili. The banned influencers were Hu Chenfeng (戶晨風), Zhang Xuefeng (張雪峰), Lan Zhanfei (藍戰非) and Fangzhang (方丈); each had tens of millions of followers before removal.

• Hu Chenfeng began livestreaming in February 2023 and made videos like "The Social Underclass."
• Zhang Xuefeng, an education consultant and provincial representative, offered a RMB 17,999 "Dream Card."
• Lan Zhanfei moved from game streaming to travel vlogging in 2023 and drew criticism for promoting hedonism.
• Fangzhang (Jiang Yucheng) was banned for cyberbullying other bloggers.

The campaign also targeted "lying-flatists," fan communities and Gen Z trolls. Several low-consumption vloggers were removed weeks before the CAC notice; platforms said these were content violations. A July 2025 media report described a cyberbullying industry that organises doxxing and coordinated harassment. After the death of actor Yu Menglong on September 11, Weibo deleted over 100,000 posts, cancelled over 1,000 accounts and suspended comments on more than 15,000 accounts between September 11 and 23; Beijing police arrested three online rumor-mongers and some discussions moved overseas.

Observers warn the crackdown could backfire. On BBC News Simon Luo said negative sentiment comes from real socioeconomic problems and that ideological control cannot solve economic stagnation or job market competition. It remains unclear how the campaign will affect long-term online debate and youth sentiment.