Concerns raised by videos of African kids

A new popular series of videos being sold in online shops on Taobao are raising eyebrows in China.

Usually running around 20 seconds, the videos show 10 African kids gathering around a blackboard. On the blackboard, advertising slogans or blessings demanded by customers are written, such as "xxx, I love you" "Happy birthday" and "Buy xxx at xxx. Every African knows." In the video, the kids read the text on the blackboard along with the video taker together. The videos are being widely circulated on social media outlets, including Weibo and Wechat.

African kids gather around a blackboard with advertising slogans on it. [Photo: Beijing Youth Daily]

It's been revealed that a group of Chinese entrepreneurs are behind the videos. They'll drive to various slums to film the kids. In return, kids will receive snacks or a small amount of money, usually around 1 US dollar. The agents then sell videos to sellers on Taobao at prices ranging between 90-100 yuan (about 13.5-15 USD) per video, according to the amount they order. On Taobao, these videos are being sold at 150-200 yuan, and prices are still rising.

"We promise that at least 5 kids can appear in one video. Customers can ask the kids to say anything except curse words," said an agent working in Zambia. She also admitted that although sellers on Taobao claim they only earn around 30 out of 200 yuan from one video, in fact most of the money was taken by agents and sellers, with the kids only getting a minor amount.

Concerns are now being raised about an obvious perception of exploitation of African children.

Some of the advertising slogans in the videos include expressions like "the best," "the greatest" and "everyone knows," which are violations of Chinese advertising laws.

"This video-filming service is provided by a third party, but not Taobao. We are examining the content of the videos as well as the transaction procedures now. If the sellers break the law, they will be punished accordingly," said an online customer service staffer with Taobao.