The Rise of the Digital 'Xiaohai'

A growing wave of artificial intelligence-generated personas is sweeping across Chinese short-video platforms, exploiting the loneliness of elderly internet users to drive high-margin sales through emotionally manipulative narratives. Known colloquially as 'Xiaohai', these digital avatars typically depict teenage boys dressed in school uniforms or plain white shirts, deploying sob stories designed to extract sympathy and financial support.

Investigative findings reveal that these avatars frequently appear in videos weeping over fabricated hardships, such as struggling with poverty, suffering bullying over unpaid tuition fees, or hiding in classrooms with only a plain steamed bun for lunch. Addressing viewers as 'aunties' and 'mothers,' the characters plead for purchases of heavily marked-up goods—ranging from buckwheat cereal to household necessities—claiming the proceeds are needed to support single fathers.

High Profits and Widespread Reach

The financial mechanics behind the Xiaohai phenomenon highlight a lucrative illicit business model. Industry insiders reveal that operators utilizing publicly available AI prompts can generate substantial daily revenues. With commission rates soaring as high as 55 percent, creators capitalize on massive digital engagement; hashtags and topics related to the Xiaohai trend have accumulated over 600 million views on mainland platforms.

While everyday items are heavily inflated—such as cooking oil retailing for nearly double its standard market price—the emotional bonds formed between the avatars and vulnerable users pose a far graver societal concern.

Real-World Consequences and Legal Scrutiny

Comment sections across major platforms are inundated with empathetic messages from middle-aged and elderly users expressing deep maternal affection for the fictional youths. However, the psychological manipulation has occasionally transcended the digital realm.

In a stark illustration of the phenomenon's dangers, police in Urumqi intercepted a 79-year-old illiterate woman travelling alone by train in May. Believing an AI avatar's livestream invitation to eat mushrooms and admire flowers, she was attempting to journey across provinces to meet 'Xiaohai'. Law enforcement intervened, clarifying the avatar's artificial nature before safely returning her to her family.

Legal experts and sociologists warn that deliberately fabricating distressing narratives to induce commercial transactions constitutes actionable fraud. Experts note that the trend underscores a deeper crisis of social isolation among older populations, who increasingly turn to digital interfaces to bridge emotional voids, making them prime targets for sophisticated algorithmic deception. Platforms have since moved to take down numerous Xiaohai-related videos, though regulatory bodies continue to monitor the evolving threat.