China’s state censor is banning the children of the rich and famous from appearing on reality TV shows, a move local critics believe is to stop them from further embarrassing their parents and the government.
China’s state news agency, Xinhua, reported that the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPRFT) had announced a ban on the children of celebrities appearing on reality TV, with the new rules officially supposed to protect minors from being exploited by TV execs.
Chinese social media began speculating that removing the spotlight from the lives of the super rich, particularly their more carefree and fame-hungry offspring, was the sole purpose of the new regulations.
In recent years, the children of wealthy businessman, actors and state officials have been embroiled in countless scandals involving illegal street racing of super cars, sex, drugs as well as overt displays of wealth on Instagram. These scandals and the flaunting of riches fly in the face of President Xi Jinping’s austerity drive, which aims to crack down on graft and shrink the gap between the new super rich and ordinary Chinese.
One of the most notorious rich kids is Wang Sicong, son of Wang Jialin, the affluent chairman of Dalian Wanda, the giant real estate to theme park conglomerate that also owns Hollywood studio Legendary and theater chain AMC. Wang Sicong caused controversy last year for posting a picture on Instagram of his dog wearing two gold Apple watches. The picture led to a thinly disguised rebuke in an op-ed posted on Xinhua that said there “are certain celebrities that recklessly disseminate vulgar information … from the worship of money to sex and violence.”
