China's major short-video platform Douyin takes down 585 micro-dramas for violation of content policies

China's major short-video platform Douyin removed a total of 585 micro-dramas in January due to their violations of content policies, including content promoting harmful values, violations of public order and social morals, and instances of vulgarity, according to a statement released on Monday by the Douyin Safety Center via its WeChat account.

Many of these micro-dramas were intercepted during the review stage prior to broadcast, while others were identified and removed through post-publication checks, said the statement.

Reasons for the violations include exaggerated and eye-catching film titles, extremely vulgar content, and promotion of gold-digging and misleading perspectives on marriage, according to the list of offending micro-dramas published in the statement.

This is not the first time Douyin has taken down micro-dramas with violations of content policies. The platform removed a total of 209 offending micro-dramas in November 2024, according to a December release from Douyin.

Previously, a notice was issued by China's National Radio and Television Administration on February 5 mandating the implementation of a "classified and tiered review" system for online micro-dramas, aimed at fostering industry growth while ensuring stricter governance.