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AI boy avatars go viral in China, using sob stories to trick elderly out of money

AI boy avatars go viral in China, using sob stories to trick elderly out of money
South China Morning Post Tuesday 27 October 2026, 02:00 UTC By Zoey Zhang 1 min read
Key Points

AI-generated “sob-story boys” have recently taken Chinese short-video platforms by storm, allegedly using emotional manipulation to cheat elderly viewers out of their savings. Known collectively as “Xiaohai”, these digital avatars typically appear as teenage boys in school uniforms or plain white shirts, tearfully describing their poverty-stricken lives on camera. In one video, a Xiaohai avatar holds a steamed bun and laments to viewers, whom he addresses as “aunties and mothers”: “All my...

AI-generated “sob-story boys” have recently taken Chinese short-video platforms by storm, allegedly using emotional manipulation to cheat elderly viewers out of their savings. Known collectively as “Xiaohai”, these digital avatars typically appear as teenage boys in school uniforms or plain white shirts, tearfully describing their poverty-stricken lives on camera. In one video, a Xiaohai avatar holds a steamed bun and laments to viewers, whom he addresses as “aunties and mothers”: “All my...
China (LOCATION) Chinese (ORG) Xiaohai (LOCATION)
Originally published by South China Morning Post Read original →

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