The AI-generated characters typically appear as teenage boys dressed in school uniforms or plain white shirts, South China Morning Post reported. AI-generated teens known as ‘Xiaohai’ are flooding Chinese short-video platforms, using emotional stories to exploit lonely elderly viewers and sell products. In videos, they often cry while describing their poverty-stricken lives, hoping to win the sympathy of viewers, whom they affectionately address as aunties and mothers.
In one video, an avatar holds a steamed bun and complains that his classmates have gone out for lunch while he has to hide in the classroom to eat. In another, a boy is shown being bullied in the rain over unpaid tuition fees. He pleads with viewers to buy buckwheat cereal to help him meet his sales target and avoid further humiliation. Some Xiaohai avatars also promote health supplements and household products, claiming they need the money to support their single fathers. However, the products can be significantly more expensive than those sold elsewhere. The business can be highly profitable. Many of the characters’ followers are middle-aged and elderly users, who frequently flood comment sections with messages expressing affection and concern for the fictional teenagers. “Why are you only eating buns? Auntie-mummy’s heart breaks for you,” read one comment. Another user wrote, “Darling son, Mummy ordered four items. Love you forever. In some cases, the emotional attachment has reportedly gone beyond online interactions. The woman insisted she was heading to Shanxi province in northern China to meet Xiaohai, who had invited her during a livestream to eat mushrooms and admire flowers. Police contacted her family and arranged for her return home after explaining that the boy was an AI-generated character. The trend has raised concerns about the use of artificial intelligence to manipulate vulnerable consumers. Legal experts have warned that deliberately fabricating stories to persuade people to purchase products could amount to fraud. Apart from the alleged financial exploitation, the phenomenon has also highlighted the emotional isolation experienced by some older people. As of the time of reporting, the total value of the alleged fraud had not been disclosed. Most Xiaohai-related videos on mainland Chinese short-video platforms had also been taken down. Meanwhile, some tech-savvy internet users have turned to AI itself to expose the trend and warn their parents against falling for the fictional characters. They are creating parody videos featuring so-called Evil Xiaohai. In some clips, the avatars appear in prison uniforms, apologising to their fans. In others, they wear luxury clothing and smoke while boasting about exploiting their aunties and mothers.
One bottle of cooking oil promoted by a Xiaohai avatar for 99 yuan (around $15) reportedly costs just 60 yuan at other retailers. With commissions reportedly reaching 55%, operators can earn substantial amounts from product sales. An industry insider told The Beijing News that creators using publicly available AI prompts to generate Xiaohai videos can make between 2,000 and 3,000 yuan a day. The trend has gained significant traction on Chinese short-video platforms, with topics related to Xiaohai attracting more than 600 million views. In May, police in Urumqi intercepted a 79-year-old illiterate woman who was travelling alone by train.
Ma Liang, a professor at Peking University, told China Newsweek that many elderly people face considerable loneliness in their offline lives and turn to digital consumption to fill the emotional void.
