Livestreamers should not mislead consumers

The Shanghai municipal market regulatory bureau recently imposed a fine of 300,000 yuan ($46,273) on Mei One, an enterprise where livestreaming anchor Li Jiaqi works, for misleading consumers by giving false information about a product.

Reports say that at a Singles Day (Nov 11) event, Li promoted a device claiming that using it for one month is equal to receiving Thermage treatment, a non-invasive procedure that uses radiofrequency to heat deep skin tissues and trigger the body's natural renewal process to tighten face and body skin.
But the local market regulatory department found the claim to be false.
The company later issued a statement saying it will prevent such things from recurring.

However, this is not an isolated case in the livestreaming sector, which hires popular anchors to promote products but does not always care to find out the real quality of the products. The only thing the anchors do whenever a flaw is noticed is apologize.

Li has erred on more than one occasion. In October 2019, he promoted a non-stick pan, but when someone tried to fry an egg in it, the egg stuck to the pan, prompting Li to say the man had not used enough oil.
In September 2020, he sold crabs claiming they were from the famous Yangcheng Lake in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, but later they turned out to be from elsewhere.

Many other livestreaming anchors have made similar false claims for products. Of course, they are not expected to be experts and know everything about the products they promote.

But, at least, they should not mislead consumers. When introducing a product, they should make clear where the product comes from and what are its real qualities, which is essential for the healthy development of the business model.

Li, who is considered a celebrity, and other livestreamers should live up to their reputation. They should not take consumers for a ride.

-PEOPLE.COM.CN

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