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Actor Lu Yi (back row from left), actor Huang Lei, Olympic gymnast Yang Wei and singer Gary Chaw watch their children interact with TV show host Li Rui during a media briefing for the movie Dad, Where Are We Going? in Beijing on Nov 25, 2014. The film was a spinoff of a popular Chinese reality TV show of the same name. [Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]

Few TV programs in China earn higher, or faster, ratings than those showing how parents raise their children, especially when the parent is a chic, well-known celebrity.

Soon though, audiences will no longer be able to see this type of program because the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television recently banned children younger than 18 from appearing on TV reality shows. The move is designed to avoid the potential pitfalls of "overnight fame," according to a statement released by the administration.

The new regulations are already making an impact on what was a fast-growing industry, resulting in the immediate cancellations of some of the most popular and profitable shows that have sprung up since the 2013 launch of Dad, Where Are We Going?, the first reality show in China to feature children.

Statistics from the nation's media regulator showed that more than 100 entertainment programs were broadcast on national TV last year, and many of them were reality shows that featured children. In total, the programs generated more than 10 billion yuan (US$1.5 billion) in advertising revenue.

Based on a South Korean program of the same name, the weekly Dad, Where Are We Going? featured celebrity fathers taking their offspring on camping trips and undertaking assigned tasks, such as cooking meals and building their own shelters, plus bonding by playing soccer and other sports.

The famous fathers came from diverse backgrounds, such as Jimmy Lin, a singer and actor from Taiwan, and diver Tian Liang, who won a gold medal at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

The first program of the final series, which was broadcast in October, attracted more than 75 million viewers, generated millions of yuan in advertising revenue and spawned a number of spinoffs, including a raft of "how to be a good parent" guidebooks.

After the show's first season, a movie of the same title netted a record 700 million yuan, a feat described as a "box office miracle," by Zheng Qu, a manager with Real Dream Productions in Beijing.

Potential pitfalls

Despite overseeing the publicity campaign for the movie, Zheng now has deep concerns about the format's validity and the potentially adverse effect on the children involved: "Although it sounds a promising and easy track for people in the entertainment industry, making a profit from reality shows involving kids is not sustainable. It's also somewhat inappropriate. Reality shows such as these do more harm than good to the kids involved."

Liao Baoping, a columnist with the Yangtze River Daily, said the growing popularity of shows featuring celebrities and their children may have been the catalyst for the administration's clampdown.

"The audience is curious to see how celebrities raise kids born into rich families, and the producers have made good use of that curiosity," he said. "But the audience doesn't really learn much by watching rich, handsome celebrities and their adorable children playing games in a feel-good countryside setting."

Hunan TV has canceled the fourth season of Dad, Where Are We Going?, and has also stopped broadcasting similar shows, such as Dad is Back and My Mom is a Superwoman, on regular television, although they will be available online.

The producer of a reality show on Hunan TV, who declined to be identified, said that although the new guidelines will result in TV companies losing advertising revenue, they had to be drawn up to protect children.

"Shows involving kids initially aimed to display family love at their core, but as more and more programs emerged, the fierce competition meant we had to make more eye-catching programs to improve our ratings," he said, adding that the shows' producers exploit the fact that most viewers have little understanding of the program-making process.

"Reality shows are products. I guess the audience rarely realizes this when they watch cute kids who are prone to tantrums laughing and crying. Reality shows do not record the real lives of the participants, who are exposed to the ever-present cameras all day long. Everyone in the show has a role to play.

"It is a highly industrial production process. We used 40 cameras to shoot each episode, and the videotape of each episode was about 25 hours, which then had to be edited down to 90 minutes.

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