Network mini dramas, which use exaggerated plot conflicts and emotional resonance to quickly attract audience attention, and rely on social media to quickly form topic effects, are developing rapidly. However, the accompanying phenomenon of pursuing gimmicks, negative orientations, malicious traffic diversion, and infringement of consumer rights has also been criticized. On June 1st, the State Administration of Radio and Television issued the latest work tips on the filing of micro dramas, which clarified that micro dramas will be subject to classification and hierarchical review, and micro dramas that have not been reviewed and filed cannot be disseminated online. Industry insiders believe that this means that the micro drama industry has entered an era of "strong regulation". Traps abound and easy to fall into. Nowadays, in addition to short video platforms, many companies such as Yuewen, Zhihu, and UC Browser are also venturing into the field of micro dramas. The "2023-2024 China Micro Short Drama Market Research Report" released by iMedia Consulting shows that the size of China's online micro short drama market was 37.39 billion yuan in 2023, an increase of 267.65% from 10.17 billion yuan in 2022. It is expected to exceed 50 billion yuan in 2024 and exceed 100 billion yuan by 2027. A practitioner in the micro drama industry revealed to reporters that the competition in the industry is fierce, with a compact plot and a pursuit of "fast" payment. "The annual fee for most mini dramas and mini programs is higher than that for long videos. Viewers are basically attracted by some clips and then enter the mini program to pay for watching the entire episode." With the rapid development of the mini drama market, the situation of being stuck in mud and sand is becoming increasingly prominent. The reporter learned that because most mini dramas require recharging members or paying to purchase in order to watch the entire content, many consumers have reported paying for watching the drama inexplicably. Some elderly consumers, who are not familiar with mobile payment, unknowingly pay high fees for watching a drama, and it is even more difficult to get a refund. Consumer Mr. Li told reporters that elderly people at home like to watch micro dramas. After seeing the advertisement "Unlocking an episode only costs 0.9 yuan", they did not notice options such as "automatically unlocking the next episode by default" and were unknowingly charged continuously. "I accidentally discovered that my elderly family had paid multiple amounts of 9.9 yuan and 19.9 yuan for a white fox short drama, only to realize that unlocking an episode for two or three minutes would cost 9.9 yuan, which is much higher than the normal market price." Many consumers also complained and reported that they often encounter difficulties in refunding when watching paid short dramas. Ms. Zhang, a consumer, told reporters that she watched a short drama on a short video platform and was told after watching a few episodes that she needed to pay to continue watching. She was charged over 300 yuan and became a VIP member because she opened facial recognition for quick payment. She wanted a refund, but was told that she had already watched the drama and couldn't refund her money anymore. Similarly, Ms. Liu, a consumer born in the 1990s, told reporters that she opened a membership trial on Happy Short Drama Treasure for 1 yuan, but was later charged 99 yuan in annual membership fees. She couldn't find a customer service representative to request a refund. There are also cases of malicious traffic in micro dramas. On online platforms, many netizens have reported experiencing false advertising while watching short dramas on mini programs, but there is no way to complain. A consumer claimed that they clicked on a micro drama related link on a short video platform, but needed to redirect to another social platform. After recharging, they found out they were deceived and wanted to refund, but found that there was no contact channel for customer service. Some consumers also reported that they were browsing short dramas on short video platforms, with advertisements claiming to "unlock the entire episode for 9.9 yuan," but were only asked to top up halfway through. The introduction of new regulations promotes good governance. Both long and short dramas belong to content products and should have requirements in terms of morality, law, and other aspects. Hong Yong, Deputy Researcher at the E-commerce Research Institute of the Research Institute of the Ministry of Commerce, told a reporter from China Consumer Daily that in the field of micro dramas, besides the problem of vulgar plot, the phenomenon of induced payment chaos is particularly prominent. The main reason is that the industry is developing rapidly, while regulatory lag and some platforms lack self-discipline. At the same time, the relatively low production threshold leads to uneven quality of works, and under the drive of profit, some creators pursue short-term traffic rather than artistic quality. He believes that it is necessary to strengthen the construction of content review standards and punishment mechanisms at the policy and regulatory level, while strengthening the platform's main responsibility, regulating operational behavior, and encouraging the production and promotion of high-quality content, in order to promote the healthy development of the industry and effectively protect consumer rights. On June 1st, the State Administration of Radio and Television issued the latest work tips on the filing of micro dramas, which clarified that micro dramas will be subject to classification and hierarchical review, and micro dramas that have not been reviewed and filed cannot be disseminated online. This means that the once booming micro drama industry has entered a more standardized development era. The reporter learned that the new regulations will implement classified and layered review for micro dramas, and "key micro dramas" with a total investment of 1 million yuan or more will be uniformly filed and publicly managed by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television; Ordinary micro dramas with a total investment amount between 300000 yuan (inclusive) and 1 million yuan and not recommended as key ones shall be planned, filed, reviewed and completed by the provincial radio and television department for film review; "Other micro short dramas" with a total investment of less than 300000 yuan and not recommended as key content shall be managed by the online audiovisual platform that broadcasts or attracts or pushes them, responsible for content review and copyright verification. In fact, in recent years, the competent authorities have successively issued notices on the management of domestic network drama distribution license services, further coordinated development and security to promote the healthy and prosperous development of the network micro drama industry, and opinions on promoting the prosperity and development of short drama creation. They have carried out special governance on poorly made micro dramas. From March to December 2023, a total of over 350000 episodes and over 20.55 million minutes of vulgar and homogeneous micro dramas were cleared nationwide. Upgrading to win the future has gone through an initial period of "barbaric growth", and the micro drama market is transforming from a "blue ocean" to a "red ocean", entering a new stage of upgrading. Young playwright Xiang Kai told a reporter from China Consumer Daily that fast-food content cannot thrive in the long term. Although there are now "regular armies" entering, many so-called micro dramas have not yet reached the standard of "drama", and many are commercial products that have set up some conflict themed events to attract attention and charge for "violence". The new regulations will block out some micro dramas that do not meet the requirements and have negative orientations, which can promote the healthy development of the micro drama industry and protect the rights and interests of creators and audiences. Xiang Kai believes that in addition to reviewing the content of micro dramas, clearer regulations should also be made on their marketing models, and they cannot be allowed to set unlimited recharge amounts or fee traps. What should consumers do if a previously listed mini drama fails to pass the review and filing process and is taken down from the shelves? In May of this year, relevant departments of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television launched a special governance campaign to address issues such as high fees, opacity, induced payment, and difficulties in safeguarding rights in the charging of micro dramas. This will further strengthen standardized management, protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers, and promote the healthy and orderly development of the industry. During the special governance period, the top mini program entities and distribution platforms will be organized to comprehensively investigate user refund applications that have not yet been resolved. All refunds should be made and resolved one by one. At the same time, it is required that the main body of the mini program establish a sound and long-term management mechanism, optimize the collection and refund interface and process, and clearly indicate the charging content, charging prices, and member rights. Convenient entrances should be opened for unsubscribe and refund, complaints and rights protection, and manual customer service should be provided. It is strictly prohibited to induce collection, hide collection, force secondary collection, and automatic renewal without permission. Tiktok, Kwai, WeChat and other platforms, as well as Dianzhong, Jiuzhou, Capacity and other 12 micro short drama small program subjects respectively issued announcements, saying that they actively responded to the micro short drama operation and charging management rules. "The new regulations on the registration of micro dramas are an inevitable measure to ensure the healthy development of the industry and protect consumers' rights. Its implementation will promote the survival of the fittest in the micro drama market, make high-quality works stand out, and encourage producers to pay more attention to content quality and audience experience." Hong Yong stated that with the advancement of technology and the continuous upgrading of user needs, micro dramas are expected to develop towards high-quality products, differentiated types, and diversified business models. In particular, innovative explorations in forms such as IP linkage, cross-border cooperation, and interactive dramas will enrich the presentation and profit models of micro dramas. Meanwhile, with the improvement of regulatory systems, the industry will gradually break away from the "frenzy" stage and enter a healthier and more orderly development track. (Lai Xin She)