To explain the rise of live streaming, Wang Sixin, law professor at Communication University of China, emphasizes four key words: smart phone, the post-90s generation, cross-localization and grassroots spirit. Better smart phones, faster connectivity and a willingness to show off have prompted young people, especially those born after 1990, to share their personal lives online. This in turn drives the live streaming craze. Anyone has a chance to be rich and famous, simply by signing up for a free account.

Wang told People’s Daily Online that new developments in technology liberate people’s hands and provide them with more spare time. On the Internet, there are always potential markets if you can grab people’s attention. It is the “Long Tail effect” of the Internet—the ability of products with low sales volume to compete with massively popular goods as long as distribution is wide enough—that facilitated the live streaming craze.

Within the blossoming market, however, there are a number of online celebrity “wannabes” who are eroding the industry by posting inappropriate content.

On July 12, the Ministry of Culture, the National Anti-Pornography Office and other regulators carried out crackdowns on over 50 live-streaming sites for “pornographic, low-taste and other inappropriate information.” A total of 16,881 streamers were found to be violating regulations, and as a result had their accounts shut down. Almost all the major Chinese streaming apps were named or fined, including two of the biggest, Ingkee and Douyu.

“It is essential to conduct state supervision and draft industry regulations,” Wang Sixin told People’s Daily Online. Wang says that the amount of time and effort live streamers put into a video directly impacts the quality of the content. Nowadays, driven by desire for money and fame, many live streamers are not willing to spend time producing high-quality videos. Instead, they attempt the shortcut of obscene and indecent content.

In addition, owing to the “crowd effect” of live streaming’s huge viewer base, when many people are watching the same video in relatively private and secure settings, they are more likely to ignore the moral and legal issues behind that video.

Chen Shaofeng, vice president of the Institute for Cultural Industries at Beijing University, agreed with Wang’s argument. He added that the business model of live streaming is similar to that of stage performance. The streamers’ body language, appearance and interaction with viewers are all observed and consumed by audiences. For some viewers, such as young teenagers, vulgar content can have a negative influence on still-developing values.

“The live-streaming industry should diversify its content development, instead of being single-mindedly focused on entertaining,” Chen suggested.