China’s film regulator is introducing new rules for one-minute soap operas, a new genre that has become popular in the country during the COVID-19 pandemic but has been accused of spreading “incorrect values”.

Designed for the shorter attention spans of the internet age, these mini-soap operas are designed to get people hooked as quickly as possible.

Starting from June 1, soap operas must undergo registration review before they can go online. The one-minute soap opera, which costs about $138,000 (1 million yuan), must be censored by China’s State Administration of Radio and Television. Others must be vetted by social media companies.

State media reported that under the current model, many short videos are spreading “incorrect or non-mainstream values.”

Major video-sharing platforms have already moved to censor popular shows on their apps before the regulation comes into effect. Some of the removed films depicted unhappy Chinese families, featuring demanding mothers-in-law and lazy husbands.

Douyin, the Chinese version of short-video sharing platform TikTok, announced on April 10 that it was removing the six-minute soap operas because they “deliberately amplify and exaggerate family conflicts” and “spread unhealthy family values.”

These include titles such as “My Husband is a Mama’s Boy,” “The Last Straw” and “Pregnant Women.”

On the same day, video sharing platform Kuaishou removed four soap operas and 738 related posts. The company said four shows including “Mother-in-Law’s Doghouse” and “Pregnant Women” amplified “intergenerational conflict” [that] A departure from mainstream family values. ”

On China’s X-like social media platform Weibo, netizens questioned the legality of the censorship.

“Shouldn’t art exaggerate life?” the poster asked.

Another poster wrote: “Too much control. There is nothing illegal about these minute long soap operas… They all state that “this story is purely fictional.” Any resemblance to real people or events is coincidental, Just like any TV show.”

Some users also support blocking these videos, saying they “incite conflict for the sake of ratings.”

Other users said the government’s real concern was that the videos would further discourage young Chinese women from starting families.

One Weibo user quipped: “Why not remove those programs that force young people to get married?”

Another netizen wrote: “If strict law enforcement is implemented to combat domestic violence, it will be much more effective than any propaganda.”

China is facing a serious demographic crisis and wants to encourage young women to have children.

China reports that its population will decline in 2022 for the first time in 60 years. As of 2023, China’s population will be 1.409 billion, a decrease of 2.08 million.

China’s birth rate has been plummeting for decades due to the strict implementation of the one-child policy from 1978 to 2016.

The population is also aging rapidly, with approximately 300 million Chinese, nearly equal to the entire U.S. population, expected to enter retirement within the next decade.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said China must establish a “new family style.”

At the end of 2023, Xi Jinping urged Chinese citizens to “actively cultivate a culture of marriage and childbirth” and “strengthen guidance on young people’s views on marriage, parenting, and family.”