# Chinese users mourn AI companions as Beijing clamps down 2026-08-10T08:56:55+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Chinese users are distraught after major tech companies pulled AI companion services to comply with new government rules that took effect July 15. Li Linlin, 24, cried for days after losing access to her AI boyfriend, with whom she had exchanged 700,000 words over two years. ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent are among firms shutting the services. The regulations ban AI platforms from generating content that could manipulate emotions or cause unhealthy habits, especially in minors. Experts say the rules aim to pre-empt harms seen in the US, where some young people died by suicide after interacting with AI companions. Users are protesting, some trying to upload chat histories to other apps. ## Coverage - livemint.com Tags: AI companions, ByteDance, China regulation, mental health, Tencent, virtual relationships Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/chinese-users-mourn-ai-companions-as-beijing-clamps-down/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/chinese-users-mourn-ai-companions-as-beijing-clamps-down/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.