Cases › produced harmful content › LR-2026-0227
AI-generated 'Xiaohai' teen persona used to sell products to older women via fabricated sob stories
Severity moderate: Older viewers bought products promoted by the AI-generated character, and some commenters said they were angry about those purchases.
Earliest source we hold 2026-10-20
An AI-generated teen character, Xiaohai, appeared in videos across dozens of Douyin accounts marketed to older women, relaying fictional sob stories to push products from soy sauce to cosmetics; critics likened the videos to scams targeting the elderly, and some commenters said they were angry they had bought Xiaohai-backed products.
Risk grouping: AI used to exploit
| Who caused it | A person or organisation “The videos, marketed to older women, appear across dozens of accounts and push a range of products, from soy sauce to cosmetics.” source |
|---|---|
| Intended or not | Intended “But in response to the popularity of Xiaohai videos — in which the teen often relays fictional sob stories, likening them to elderly-targeting scams — other user-made clips portraying him as a greedy, ill-mannered troublemaker, under arrest or admitting to fraud, have also begun to emerge, domestic media reported this week.” source |
| Before or after release | After release “This scene comes as videos featuring the AI-generated teen male character, “Xiaohai,” surge in popularity, with a related hashtag amassing more than 620 million views on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, as of Tuesday.” source |
| The AI's part | Used as a tool “The videos, marketed to older women, appear across dozens of accounts and push a range of products, from soy sauce to cosmetics.” source |
The story
1 · What it was doingAI-generated teen character Xiaohai appeared in videos across dozens of Douyin accounts, marketed to older women, pushing products from soy sauce to cosmetics.
2 · What went wrongThe character relayed fictional sob stories to sell products, which critics likened to elderly-targeting scams; many older viewers reportedly believed he was real.
3 · What it reached or didThe videos reached older women viewers on Douyin, where a related hashtag amassed more than 620 million views; some commenters said they were angry they had bought Xiaohai-backed products.
Show every field, with its source and grade
The AI system
Stage of use
in live use
D inferred by us from the described behaviour, reason shown
How it was connected
embedded
D inferred by us from the described behaviour, reason shown
What it was for
Selling products to older women through videos featuring an AI-generated teen character.
C one secondary source states it
What happened
Earliest source we hold
2026-10-20
A the date the source itself carries
Themes
AI generated persona, elderly consumers, fabricated personas, social media backlash
D inferred by us from the described behaviour, reason shown
What went wrong
produced harmful content
D inferred by us from the described behaviour, reason shown
Impact
Severity
moderate
D inferred by us from the described behaviour, reason shown
Who was affected
Older women viewers who bought Xiaohai-backed products
C one secondary source states it
Why this severity
Older viewers bought products promoted by the AI-generated character, and some commenters said they were angry about those purchases.
D inferred by us from the described behaviour, reason shown
Context
Industry
Retail Trade
D inferred by us from the described behaviour, reason shown
Country
China
D inferred by us from the described behaviour, reason shown
LR-2026-0227 · version 4 · published 2026-10-25 after automatic checks; not yet checked field by field by a person · changes to this case · JSON