Pushy parents provoke child-vote backlash

Users of instant-messaging platforms are becoming increasingly annoyed by frequent messages canvassing online support for children in competitions, as Tang Yue reports.

In China, there are usually two reasons people receive messages from friends and relatives from whom they haven't heard for a while.

The first revolves around New Year greetings, which are always welcome. The second reason is often less palatable, however; people are increasingly contacting long-lost friends, or even casual acquaintances, and urging them to cast online votes for their children or grandchildren in competitions.