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Momoko compelled to return gifted amount on air, completely surprised by the reason
Recent times witness China initiating stricter regulations on online broadcasting platforms, tightening control over online sales and gaming livestreams
Recently, Bilibili streamer Momoko posted a lamentation, revealing automatic refund of around $17,000 received from contributors per livestream due to confirmed underage donors, leaving her utterly surprised
Significantly, the gifted amount was contributed by a fan group supporting the celebrity. After deductions, the broadcaster and representative contacted the fan group for confirmation, uncovering surprising details about a financially well-off 30-year-old programmer leading an 11-person game production team
Refunding individuals sponsoring livestreams has stirred controversy among Bilibili streamers, prompting famous personalities like Momoko to be cautious, estimating over 1 million RMB refunded to parents of young enthusiastic fans, potentially forcing some streamers to halt activities
A laughable yet sorrowful situation stemming from a 2020 law on the mainland banning users from contributing excessively large amounts to online streamers. Bilibili's terms of service also have similar provisions. However, over the past two years, there have been numerous cases of refunds being issued immediately due to the platform verifying that the contributors are underage.
In 2020, there was a case where underage fans contributed over $250,000 to some famous broadcasters, and the entire amount was refunded. Some streamers suspect that the users are not actually minors but are trying to impersonate minors to get their money back.
In April 2022, a group of Vtubers expressed frustration on the social media platform Weibo when followers demanded refunds just before this person turned 18.
Another online streamer shared a similar experience of receiving refund requests. This individual submitted a complaint to Bilibili's support department but only received a vague response requesting patience for verification.
A few days later, this person posted a video documenting a conversation with a Bilibili staff member, along with the employee's promise of Bilibili soon improving and tightening refund policies for supporters under 18. The employee also promised to implement payment security measures through direct camera confirmation procedures like other platforms. However, this promised improvement has not yet been implemented.
Refunding these individuals is crucial because in most cases, 'minor' users do not immediately request refunds after contributing. This contribution may be converted into cash after many months or years; streamers may spend it and be unable to refund it. In this case, the platform will compel them to use future online content profits to offset these refund amounts.
Meanwhile, many celebrities have been gifting exclusive items and rewards to their top supporters. The more supporters contribute, the more and higher-value rewards they receive. Some individuals have stated that they don't receive back the items and rewards they gave away after refunding the supporters. Among them, many exclusive items are being resold on second-hand trading platforms.
Currently, the Bilibili platform has yet to provide an official response regarding this policy. However, it seems that the backlash from streamers will only intensify further.
