China’s internet censors have begun a new campaign aimed at short TikTok-style videos that have spread on social media throughout the country, and the current government crackdown has a new target: content that promotes pessimism.
The new guidelines released on Tuesday come from the Cyberspace Administration of China, as part of an effort to limit “misleading content” or content promoting “incorrect values,” according to the South China Morning Post. In March, the government agency had said it would focus on removing internet content that wasn’t aligned with the government’s values. These censorship efforts are part of a broader three-year-old campaign called Qing Lang, which aims to curb some negative aspects of social media and previously focused on things like limiting toxic fan cultures. The latest version, which includes the new restrictions on pessimism, is aimed at addressing mental concerns online, according to the South China Morning Post.
