Video platform warned over 'vulgar' content

A heavyweight news portal and a popular live-streaming site were called to meet with authorities over illegal, violent or vulgar content, the State Radio and Television Administration said on Wednesday.

News portal Toutiao and amateur video app Kuaishou both featured content that was "against social values” and provided video services without the proper license.

They were ordered to thoroughly comb through all their videos and programs and immediately delete those that were "vulgar, violent, erotic and harmful," the statement said.

Those accounts that were found to have uploaded illegal contents should be permanently shut down.

Company employees will be held liable for approving illegal videos, and the State Radio and Television Administration will take further steps to regulate the two platforms, depending on their rectifications.

A large number of videos about teenage moms were found on the prank video app Kuaishou. Teen pregnancy is against China's family planning policies, which state that only married couples can have children. Women are only permitted to marry from the age of 20.

Videos with titles such as “14-year-old mom” and “the youngest mother with two children” were viewed 30,000 to 40,000 times. 

A 19-year-old mother who gave birth at 18, identified as Yang Qingning, is one of the most popular hosts on Kuaishou, with 45 million followers. Each time she live-broadcast her and her baby’s daily life she could receive more than 2.8 million likes.

As a temporary punishment, both platforms have been banned from allowing new users to sign up.