Kids' talents now second to money in online contests

MANY CHILDREN compete in various kinds of commercial talent competitions on the internet, and their parents will often use WeChat, the most popular mobile social media platform in China, to canvass votes for them. China Youth Daily comments:

An investigative report by Beijing News on Monday is an eyeopener for parents who enter their children in such contests. There is a profit chain behind the booming business, which takes advantage of some parents' eagerness to show off their children's talents.

To tap into parents' desire to increase the number of votes for their own children, some contest organizers, as well as the voting service providers, sell "gifts" that are counted as votes.