XiaoHongShu Under Scrutiny for Minor Privacy Leaks and Inadequate Content Review

XiaoHongShu, a popular Chinese social and short‑video platform, has been reported by CCTV to leak minors' personal privacy and to have lax content‑review mechanisms.

The investigation showed that searches for child‑friendly topics such as “parent‑child playground” returned numerous short videos featuring minors in pajamas, sleeping, or even in school uniforms, often filmed by the minors themselves and exposing private body parts.

Examples include a video shot in Shenzhen that followed a schoolgirl in her uniform into a classroom and a restroom, and another where a minor promoted underwear, drawing sexually suggestive comments from adult users.

Comments under these videos frequently contained inappropriate language, sexual innuendo, and requests for personal contact, highlighting the platform’s failure to filter harmful user interactions.

Further investigation uncovered child “live‑streaming hosts” and “e‑commerce influencers” who marketed products while appearing in revealing attire, mixing with regular adult content and making it impossible for users to filter out minors’ material.

Legal scholars emphasized that the platform must comply with the Minor Protection Law, separating minor‑related content from adult accounts and preventing algorithmic recommendation of such material to strangers.

In response, XiaoHongShu apologized for the oversight, claimed that the cited content had already been addressed in a prior minor‑focused audit, and announced a new round of targeted governance to improve detection of minor‑related videos and comments.

The incident sparked widespread discussion on Chinese social media, with many users demanding stronger moderation and questioning the platform’s commitment to protecting minors.