Upgrade of Douyin's Live Stream Management Regulations: Prohibition of Creating False Intimate Relationships and Inducing Tips
Phoenix Technology News, July 30th. In recent years, live streaming (multi-talent artists) has become a new form of cultural production and consumption, with the industry trend towards professionalization, standardization, and systematization. To further regulate the live streaming ecosystem, ensure the legal rights of industry practitioners, and promote high-quality development, Douyin announced on July 30th that it will upgrade its "Douyin Live Stream Content Management Regulations" and simultaneously release the "Douyin Live Stream Institutional Management Regulations".
As understood, "live streaming" refers to a form of live performance where multiple people perform dance, singing, or other forms of entertainment in the same broadcast studio. From hardware equipment to content arrangement, from interactive gameplay to visual presentation, industry practitioners have carefully crafted and iterated on this concept, resulting in a plethora of high-quality live streams.
Meanwhile, there are some problems in the industry where certain practitioners use low-brow content to attract attention, engage in emotional manipulation, or induce consumption. Some guilds have set unreasonable broadcast durations and high penalties for breach, infringing upon the legal rights of performers.
According to Douyin's relevant personnel, in 2023, the platform first released its "Live Stream Content Management Regulations", which targeted low-brow content, PK battles, and other irregular live streams. This time, the regulations will be further strengthened to govern behaviors that harm users' rights outside of live streaming scenarios and behaviors that infringe upon performers' legal rights.
According to the upgraded regulations, accounts with violating behavior in live streaming scenarios will be subject to tiered penalties, including reduced recommendations, suspended broadcasts, deducted water rewards, and even permanent revocation of broadcasting permissions. For guilds that have a high proportion of violating performers or engage in unfair business practices, they will face deductions in their health score, restrictions on their operational capabilities, and even termination of cooperation.
The regulations reiterate the prohibition on performers using costumes, makeup, or other means to emphasize sensitive areas, create ambiguous atmospheres; prohibit live streaming guilds from organizing, guiding, or condoning low-brow content.
Additionally, the regulations will strengthen governance of private chat scenarios where users' rights are infringed upon, such as emotional manipulation, low-brow content inducement to consumption. For example, prohibiting performers from creating fake intimate relationships to induce users to consume; prohibiting performers from silently permitting or guiding fans to attack others.
Regarding the issue of some guilds setting unreasonable broadcast durations, high penalties for breach, and failing to deliver promised income to performers, the upgraded regulations have released corresponding governance rules. If a guild breaches its contract or fails to fulfill its obligations in accordance with relevant regulations, the performer can apply for Douyin's platform to intervene in arbitration. After verification, the platform will support the performer's withdrawal request, and the guild will face deductions in their health score, restrictions on their operational capabilities, etc.
According to relevant personnel, Douyin's live streaming has always been committed to maintaining a clean and healthy online environment, creating a diverse and high-quality live streaming ecosystem for users, and providing a harmonious and standardized industry environment for practitioners. As of the first half of 2025, the platform has cleared out 54 guilds suspected of spreading low-brow content, cheating, or providing services to minors. "The platform hopes that through these rules and measures, it can urge performers and guilds to standardize their live streaming behaviors and work together with industry participants to promote the development of the live streaming industry towards a more standardized direction."