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\n China\u2019s powerful internet censors have long been known for erasing political dissent, vitriol against the Communist Party leadership, and mention of sensitive historical events. Now, they\u2019re being unleashed on a new scourge \u2013 negativity.\n <\/p>\n
\n The country\u2019s internet regulator on Monday unveiled a two-month nationwide campaign<\/a> aimed at curbing pessimism trending on social media, live-streaming and short-video platforms.\n <\/p>\n \n Some content being targeted \u201cmaliciously misinterprets social phenomena, selectively exaggerates negative cases, and uses them as an opportunity to promote nihilistic or otherwise negative worldviews,\u201d the statement from the Cyberspace Administration of China said.\n <\/p>\n \n Others \u201cexcessively self-deprecate or amplify feelings of despair and negativity, prompting others to follow suit,\u201d it added.\n <\/p>\n \n Years of economic downturn triggered by a property crisis have crushed consumer confidence, dampened consumption and increased unemployment, particularly among young people in China \u2013 dimming their prospects and outlook on life. Such sentiment has given rise to the young generation\u2019s embrace of lifestyles like \u201clying flat,<\/a>\u201d a term describing the pursuit of a simple, stress-free life that gained prominence on the Chinese internet in 2021.\n <\/p>\n \n The crackdown announced this week came after multiple bloggers known for documenting their \u201clying flat\u201d lifestyle reported that their videos had been deleted and their social media accounts banned.\n <\/p>\n \n The internet regulator has also recently penalized internet platforms for failing to moderate content posted on their sites. Popular social media platform Weibo<\/a>, the TikTok-like Kuaishou<\/a>, and the Chinese equivalent of Instagram, Red, or Xiaohongshu<\/a>, were all disciplined this month for allowing \u201charmful\u201d information like \u201chyping around celebrities\u2019 personal updates and trivial matters\u201d to appear in trending topics.\n <\/p>\n \n In the Monday statement, the internet regulator said the crackdown also covers content \u201cinciting extreme confrontation between groups,\u201d \u201cspreading fear and anxiety,\u201d and \u201cfueling online violence and hostility.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Online posts, comments and trending topics about economic rumours, doxxing techniques, and \u201cdefeatist narratives like \u2018effort is useless\u2019\u201d all fall under the purview of this campaign. It also targets content \u201cselling anxiety\u201d by exploiting concerns around employment, dating, and education to promote sales of classes or related products.\n <\/p>\n \n The regulator urged the public to \u201cactively report such cases\u201d to \u201cresist the malicious incitement of negative sentiment.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n A commentary published by state-run media<\/a> on Tuesday praised the campaign as a \u201ctimely\u201d response to the \u201cprevailing chaos.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThe harm of such maliciously divisive content is significant. It can trigger collective misunderstandings and social panic, marginalize reason and facts, and even spark offline conflicts, causing long-term damage to public order and social trust,\u201d it wrote.\n <\/p>\n \n Ja Ian Chong, a professor of political science at the National University of Singapore, who focuses on China, observed that there appears to be a \u201csignificant lack of motivation, even pessimism\u201d among Chinese people regarding individual prospects.\n <\/p>\n \n He said it was \u201creasonable to expect\u201d Chinese authorities would seek to encourage consumer confidence and higher consumption to push economic growth. \u201cOne way to do so may be to manage public sentiment online,\u201d he said.\n <\/p>\n \n China\u2019s economy continues to struggle with myriad domestic and external challenges<\/a> that put pressure on its annual growth target of 5%<\/a>. The growth of its factory output and retail sales, a gauge of the country\u2019s manufacturing health and consumption, fell to a 12-month low and a 9-month low, respectively, according to figures released by China\u2019s National Bureau of Statistics<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n Also in August, the unemployment rate for those aged between 16 and 24, excluding students, rose to a two-year high of 18.9%, according to data released by the statistics bureau this month.\n <\/p>\n \n Chong said that, while the crackdown could well change the tone online, the general sentiment is less likely to change without better life and career prospects, and that China\u2019s internet users would, as they have done in the past, find ways to express themselves online.\n <\/p>\n![\"Mandatory](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1758713174_900_w_860.jpeg\")
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