Investigation Reveals XiaoHongShu Platform’s Exposure of Minors’ Privacy and Inadequate Content Moderation

Recent reports and a CCTV13 investigation have highlighted that the XiaoHongShu (RED) app frequently recommends short videos containing minors’ personal and sexual content, often revealing private body parts or filming in sensitive locations.

Journalists, after more than two months of browsing, documented numerous instances where the platform pushed videos with explicit minors’ imagery, insufficient comment moderation, and even accounts that followed schoolgirls into restrooms.

Examples include a “game commentary” account using nude female characters as thumbnails and subtitles encouraging “naked dancing,” as well as numerous user‑generated videos that expose children’s privacy.

The platform’s response acknowledges that the massive volume of short videos creates review gaps, and it has issued apologies while claiming that some of the reported content had already been addressed in a prior minor‑focused audit.

Legal scholars stress that under the newly revised Minor Protection Law , network service providers must promptly flag and remove content that endangers minors, implementing protective measures such as deletion, blocking, or disconnection.

XiaoHongShu announced a forthcoming “minor protection special action” to improve detection of under‑age users and related content, aiming to tighten moderation of videos and comment sections.