China Bans Emotional Dependence and Virtual Relationships with Chatbots Amid Birthrate Crisis

China introduced strict new regulations on AI companies on Wednesday, prohibiting chatbots from encouraging emotional dependence and forbidding virtual relationships between chatbots and minors. The rules also require companies to alert a designated emergency contact if a user shows signs of emotional crisis. This move comes as the use of AI chatbots has expanded, with many users seeking emotional support and forming deep attachments that sometimes rival real human relationships.

The new regulations are more stringent than recent laws in California and New York, which mandate chatbots to remind users every three hours that they are not human and to direct those expressing suicidal thoughts to crisis services. In contrast, China demands that chatbots undergo regulatory review before public release and grants authorities broad powers to shut down unsafe systems.

These measures target chatbots acting as virtual companions but may also apply to general-purpose chatbots if users engage them with emotional queries. The backdrop to this crackdown is China’s declining birthrate and shrinking population, with the population falling for the fourth consecutive year in 2025 to 1.405 billion, a 0.21% drop from 2024, and a record low birthrate of 5.63 births per 1,000 people, down 16.8%.

Matt Schiavenza of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told The Wall Street Journal that Chinese authorities fear widespread emotional reliance on chatbots could reduce marriage rates and have negative psychological and social consequences. He noted the government’s desire to encourage real-world relationships, warning of a future where millions of Chinese women might consider chatbots their partners, leading to fewer children.

China’s new AI chatbot regulations reflect broader social concerns amid demographic challenges, aiming to curb virtual emotional dependencies and promote traditional human relationships.