TikTok China Banned Users From Making Videos To Show Off Wealth

In its latest statement, Douyin, an extremely popular short video app in China, announced that it would ban six types of content including content to show off wealth since it promoted “improper value.”

The content prohibitions were put in place following the implementation of live streaming regulations highlighting wealth-flaunting as a problem last year. It was also in line with the government’s call to spread “positive energy” online.

Six similar categories identified by Douyin also include the promotion of money worship, having minors in videos with luxury products, and flaunting a person’s social status in an inappropriate way including mocking the poor.

Making up stories like from rags to riches or having finished studying abroad to market products or fraud users is another banned category.

According to Douyin, the purpose of the ban is to promote “reasonable spending” and “civilized lifestyles,” and to build a healthier community. A spokesperson told the media that showing wealth would pollute the social atmosphere on the platform and would be especially harmful to the adolescents' physical and mental health.

Along with the announcement, the platform has also “detoxed” its system in recent weeks. Since the beginning of this year, about 4,000 content-sharing accounts related to the six banned categories have been removed.

Showing off your wealth online has been a phenomenon in China since the 2000s when blogging was the most thriving social media platform. Guo Meimei, a Red Cross executive known for his passion for luxury handbags caused a huge scandal in 2011. Or Wang Sicong, the billionaire heir of one of the largest Chinese corporations also caused outrage when he shared photos of the eight iPhones he had bought for his dog.

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