A 10-year-old child, Li Xiang, squandered close to 20,000 yuan over two days by sending gifts in a voice chat room, lured by a sense of belonging. The incident highlights how minors evade real-name verification on platforms like HuiSen and GuGu Voice, spending large sums to fill emotional voids. Parents are left grappling with vanished transaction records and challenging refund processes.

In 2025, Jiang Ying, President of the Beijing Internet Court, disclosed that nearly 700 disputes involving refunds for minors' in-game purchases and live-streaming gifts had been adjudicated over the past three years. The highest single case amounted to 3.1 million yuan, with an average of over 80,000 yuan per case. Despite existing laws, enforcement remains problematic.

Tests reveal that most voice platforms allow unverified top-ups seamlessly, while refund mechanisms are obscure. He Yanzhe, Deputy Director of the Cybersecurity Testing Lab at China Electronics Standardization Institute, attributes the persistence of such issues to inadequate legal frameworks, insufficient corporate responsibility, immature technology, and low public awareness. He suggests clarifying product positioning to delineate parental and corporate duties.

In February, Li Xiang believed he had made new friends in a HuiSen voice chat room. After receiving a warm greeting from a host, he began gifting small amounts. The host later added him to a three-person group chat and sent a 14.5-yuan red packet. Over two days, Li Xiang topped up over 17,000 yuan, despite his account being unverified and flagged as risky. The host advised him to re-login to bypass restrictions.

These platforms, though not targeted at minors, have become spaces where children form social circles, often exposed to inappropriate content. Users can share videos, chat, sing, or watch hosts compete in PK battles, where participants exchange gifts and impose penalties on losers.

Some minors delete payment records to conceal their spending. Parents like Wang Yu discovered their children's activities only by chance. Legal provisions state that minors over eight have limited civil capacity, requiring parental consent for transactions, while those under eight lack such capacity entirely. Platforms are mandated to implement consumption controls for minors, yet gaps persist.

A review of complaints against seven voice social apps—HuiSen, Hello Voice, GuGu Voice, CUCU, LanBan Voice, ChongChong Voice, and XiaoPeiBan Voice—shows that all discourage minor usage in their terms. However, tests conducted without real-name verification successfully processed small top-ups across all platforms.

Only HuiSen provided a dedicated refund channel for minors, accessible through a seven-step process. Other platforms required客服 intervention, with GuGu Voice offering an automated response for refund requests. LanBan Voice suggested enabling youth mode without specifying refund steps. ChongChong Voice directed Apple Store users to contact Apple for refunds, complicating the process.

A major hurdle is proving the consumer was a minor. Li Xiang's father, Li Yong, faced rejection despite submitting extensive evidence, as chats were deleted and the host blocked contact. Technical identification methods, such as inferring from linked adult accounts, behavioral analysis, or biometric verification, remain unreliable or intrusive.

He Yanzhe notes that national standards classify products into three categories: those exclusively for minors, which should restrict spending; those barring minors, requiring strict verification; and those used by minors, which pose complex challenges. Youth modes offer optional controls, but effectiveness depends on parental vigilance.

Cost concerns also hinder platform compliance. Yu Benhong, a national committee member, proposed leveraging public security systems for unified identity checks to reduce barriers. He emphasized that stringent verification should align with corporate sustainability.

Recent regulations clarify criteria for "large platforms" with significant minor user bases, mandating strict age verification and usage management. Yu criticized current youth modes as passive compliance, suggesting state-curated educational content to enhance appeal.

The responsibility ultimately hinges on proactive corporate accountability and effective parental supervision.