A livestreamer dressed in cosplay costumes broadcasts live from the China Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference (ChinaJoy) in Shanghai on August 4, 2025. Photo: IC

Some multi-channel network (MCN) agencies have exploited minors' inexperience and eagerness for fame, luring them with false promises and short-term rewards into signing unfair cooperation agreements akin to "contracts of servitude." This has left many minors trapped in these arrangements and disputes, Legal Daily reported on Monday. 

Recently, the practice of some MCN agencies illegally signing contracts with minors and forcing them to livestream overtime through harsh contracts, despite China's strict regulations against minors profiting through livestreaming, has drawn widespread public concern. 

Experts noted that stricter enforcement of China's laws and regulations to limit minors from becoming streamers is urgently needed, and the livestreaming platforms' oversight responsibilities must be strengthened. It is also crucial to improve parents' awareness of guardianship and minors' self-protection abilities. 

According to an investigative report by the Legal Daily, some MCN agencies recruit minors as livestreamers without signing contracts, or using adult identities to help minors go through the online platforms' real-name registration procedures for livestreaming. 

Meanwhile, some MCN agencies will make alluring promises which contradict actual practices. Some minors' working hours are far longer than they were promised or they were scheduled to work at irregular hours such as overnight shifts or early morning. Some minors are even asked to lure their top-tipping big brothers over the phone overnight to generate profits. 

However, it is also very difficult for minors to quit their job as they might face huge financial compensation if they try to terminate their contracts with the MCN agencies. 

Tragedies in which minors are reduced to "profiting tools" have occurred from time to time in recent years. Last August, a 17-year-old streamer suddenly died after an eight-hour livestream, and the company involved was accused of coaxing a minor into signing an "unconscionable contract."

In July, a 14-year-old girl being sued for compensation after she terminated her contract with an MCN agency drew widespread public attention. Since she could not bear the work pressure any more, the girl sought to terminate her contract with the agency, but was instead sued by the company for nearly 17,000 yuan ($2,368) in compensation. The girl had secretly signed the contract with the company to become a streamer without her family's knowledge, and earned only 13,000 yuan in six months. 

In February, a 16-year-old girl signed a 10-year "exclusive agreement" with a company without her family's knowledge and later became embroiled in a dispute with the company, which sought up to 300,000 yuan in compensation. 

Experts pointed out that the recurring contract disputes in the livestreaming industry involving minors reveal that some interest-driven agencies are willing to cross the legal red lines to trap minors by taking advantage of minors' lack of social experience. 

Yao Jinju, a professor at the Law School of Beijing Foreign Studies University, said it is illegal for MCN agencies to force minors to work excessively long hours, and such practices essentially exploit minors' lack of legal knowledge and unfamiliarity with contract laws and regulations to bind them to the agencies. 

MCN agencies that use invalid, illegal contracts to bind and force minors to work, regardless of whether the minors are over 16 years old, are suspected of violating the Law on the Protection of Minors. These agencies can face penalties, including fines. In serious cases, the companies may be suspected of violating the Criminal Law for employing child labor in hazardous work, Yao said. 

Xu Hongmei, a lawyer from the Lantai Partners law firm, said it is a priority to strictly regulate the signning of contracts, and that the primary responsibilities of livestreaming platforms and agencies must be enforced. 

Xu suggested that the livestreaming platforms should implement mandatory facial recognition, require guardian verification, and in real time block accounts of minors under 16. 

Yao suggested strengthening interdepartmental coordination and cooperation to improve the efficiency of regulation. Livestreaming platforms can use big data and other relevant technologies to monitor minors' accounts under MCN agencies, as well as the duration and content of minors' livestreams, reduce related traffic and visibility, as well as strengthen supervision through reporting channels for content violations involving minors. 

Global Times