Parents in China are using AI to get their children married

In China, some parents are using emotionally charged videos created with artificial intelligence to encourage their children to get married and start a family. These videos depict elderly people regretting not having started a family in their youth and lamenting that they did not listen to their parents' advice.

According to China's Xinhua News Agency and the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the number of official marriage registrations in the country in 2024 was 6.106 million. This is a 20.5 percent decrease compared to the previous year's figure. The number of marriages per thousand people in the country was only 4.3.

The decline in the number of marriages is worrying parents. According to reports, they are trying to use various methods to persuade their children to start a family and have children.

Several media outlets have reported that social platforms in China, such as Douyin and Weibo, are flooded with AI-generated videos. In them, elderly characters say they regret not listening to their parents and starting a family when they were young.

In one of the videos, a 58-year-old woman created via artificial intelligence is shown alone in a hospital. Other patients in the beds next to her are being cared for by their loved ones.

In another video, a 56-year-old character expresses regret for not listening to their parents' advice about marriage when they were young. Although most of these clips are distributed with a special label indicating they were created using artificial intelligence, they continue to be watched millions of times and shared with others.

This trend is being called a "cyber siege" by concerned parents aimed at convincing their children to start a family. However, critics warn that such methods could further exacerbate the social divide between those who are married and those living alone. Nevertheless, some parents, worried about their children's future, are paying little attention to these criticisms.

One Weibo user wrote: "We need more videos like this. Let's see who still prefers to stay single."

Another user expressed the opinion: "Everyone should share these clips and show them to the youth."

However, reactions to this initiative have been largely negative. In particular, young people consider the videos and the entire trend surrounding their distribution to be ridiculous rather than taking them seriously.

"It's hilarious that they are using artificial intelligence because they couldn't find a real person to make people cry and encourage them to get married," one user wrote.

Others point out that such videos may not produce the expected results. In their opinion, such pressure from parents could further alienate young people, cool their relationships with them, and even cause them to deliberately decide not to marry.

Thus, against the backdrop of a declining number of marriages in China, AI-generated videos are sparking new debates between parents and young people. The clips, intended to encourage marriage, are becoming more of a subject of ridicule than an impactful piece of advice for some young people.