Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) has faced administrative fines, temporary platform removals, and regulatory warnings from Chinese regulatory bodies over its content moderation, data privacy practices, and compliance standards.
Major Regulatory Penalties & Actions
- Temporary App Store Removal (2019):
- Issue: Pulled from major Android app stores and Apple’s App Store in China for nearly three months.
- Cause: Crackdown on fraudulent reviews, counterfeit product promotions, explicit or vulgar content, and illicit pharmaceutical advertising on the platform.
- Protection of Minors Violations (2022):
- Penalty:Fined 300,000 RMB (~$47,000 USD) by the Huangpu District Administration of Culture and Tourism in Shanghai.
- Cause:Failure to censor videos containing inappropriate content involving minors, including privacy leaks and suggestive comment sections, violating China’s Law on the Protection of Minors.
- Social Morality & Vulgar Content Fines (2023):
- Penalty:Fined 35,000 RMB by the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism.
- Cause:Distributing print publications and merchandise with content deemed vulgar, misleading, or harmful to social morality under internet publishing regulations.According to corporate records from Tianyancha, the operating company accumulated 16 administrative penalties over several years for similar moderation failures.
- Cyberspace Administration (CAC) Enforcement (2025):
- Action:Ordered official warnings and strict punishments against platform leadership.
- Cause:Failure to fulfill primary responsibilities in content governance, specifically regarding posts hyping celebrity personal dynamics and sensationalized content.
Platform Enforcement Against Users & Brands
Inside its ecosystem, Xiaohongshu actively issues internal punishments against creator and business accounts for policy breaches:
| Penalty Level | Common Triggers | Platform Action |
| Low | Banned keywords (e.g., extreme claims like “Number 1”, “Best”) | Warning notification, prompt to delete/edit |
| Medium | Traffic redirection (sharing WeChat IDs, phone numbers, QR codes) | Limited reach (shadowban) or comment muting (1–30 days) |
High | Fake engagement, bot networks, non-disclosed sponsored notes | Loss of verification, deletion of notes, store suspension |
| Severe | Illegal topics, fake products, repeat copyright or privacy violations | Permanent account ban |
