‘No Degree, No Discussion’: China Seeks Credential Checks for Influencers
What decides virality on social media? The strong follower base of the influencer? Good engagement? And what about authenticity? Do the people doling out ‘advice’ via their social media handles actually have the credentials for it? And should they be asked to prove it?
China has now taken a step in that direction, rolling out a new mandate that requires social media influencers to have formal qualifications before providing advice on sensitive domains like medicine, law, education, or finance. It could be a degree, professional license, or certification.
China’s powerful regulator, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), rolled out the new mandate that fundamentally challenges the prevailing ethos of digital content creation, where sometimes virality and relatability trump expertise.
The motivation behind Beijing’s regulation is framed as a critical necessity: fighting online misinformation and protecting the public from real-world harm. In China, much like elsewhere, popular creators are often treated as de-facto experts by vast audiences, leading to dangerous advice on health cures, misleading stock tips, or simplified legal guidance. For high-stakes domains, where uninformed commentary can encourage people to delay professional treatment or wipe out personal savings, the government argues that stronger guardrails are essential for consumer protection and social stability.
Platforms like Douyin, Weibo, and Bilibili are now responsible for verifying the credentials of the social media influencers and applying visible disclaimers, forcing a shift towards greater accountability and content quality. This process promises to professionalise content creators, potentially elevating them into a new class of “expert-influencers” whose advice is seen as more legitimate and trustworthy.
There is a flip side though. Critics warn that this paradigm shift is a direct threat to the diversity and openness of the digital public square. Many view the credential mandate as a new form of digital censorship and an expansion of state control dressed up as a quest for quality.
The main risk to free expression lies in the definition of “expertise,” which remains vague and subjective. The regulation may exclude creators who possess valuable lived experience, strong research backgrounds, or grassroots insight but lack formal degrees. If only officially sanctioned, credentialed voices are permitted to speak on sensitive topics, the space for alternative, dissenting, or non-traditional viewpoints will shrink significantly. This could also potentially have a chilling effect that could force creators to self-censor or adhere to a stiff, institutional mould, sacrificing the spontaneity and informal charm that made influencer culture successful in the first place.
While China has gone ahead and already put this plan in place, do you think it is time for India to consider asking social media influencers in certain fields such as finance, medicine and health to prove their credentials too?