“Father’s Short Drama Addiction Breaks the Bank”
Interviews Investigate the Phenomenon of Short Dramas Captivating Senior Citizens
**Editor’s Note**
Recently, a tragic news story emerged about a grandfather who became so engrossed in his smartphone that he failed to notice his 3-year-old grandson drowning by the river. This incident has sparked widespread concern about the growing issue of internet addiction among some elderly individuals.
With the rapid rise of short videos and live streaming, a segment of “internet-addicted seniors” spends their evenings glued to their screens, oblivious to the world around them. They find themselves immersed in tasks like scanning QR codes, tipping streamers generously, and making impulsive purchases of health products. Not only do they get easily caught in various short video “traps,” but they also fall prey to what is commonly known as the “information cocoon” created by big data, leading to multiple complications in their lives.
Following our recent series on “legally resolving the challenges of elderly disability,” we are launching a new column dedicated to exploring “legally addressing elderly internet addiction.” Stay tuned for our ongoing coverage.
**By Zhao Li, Staff Writer**
**With contributions from Lin Mingzhen, Intern**
The trend of short dramas is sweeping the senior community.
In the past two months, dramas aimed at middle-aged and older adults have dominated short drama rankings. For example, after its release, “Marrying a Rich Man in a Flash” topped the WETRUE short drama popularity chart for five consecutive days, while discussions about it on Douyin have surpassed 2.3 billion. Other titles like “Marrying at Fifty” and “Old Warriors: Father-son Soldiers” have also reached around 600 million and 300 million conversations, respectively.
The surge in popularity of senior-themed dramas has shifted industry perceptions; leading actors are now “mature billionaires,” proving that older characters can also be “money-makers” in the industry.
This shift is certainly evident in the case of Lin Han’s 85-year-old grandmother, who eagerly consumes these short dramas and is willing to spend several hours each day watching them. Similarly, 65-year-old Fang Can’s father is a “short drama enthusiast,” often lounging on the sofa for hours, simultaneously following five different series and with hundreds of short drama apps on his phone.
However, this binge-watching isn’t just mentally exhausting; it’s financially draining as well. Lin Han’s grandmother, once unfamiliar with online payments, ended up exhausting her account balance of over $2,000 by funding short drama subscriptions. Meanwhile, Fang Can’s father has racked up nearly $6,000 in expenses through various short drama apps. Efforts by their children to reclaim these funds have proven futile, as the systems often deny refunds by stating “already viewed” or “adult purchases.”
Experts have noted that many short drama apps employ deceptive tactics, particularly targeting consumers—especially the elderly, who often lack digital literacy and the ability to discern online financial transactions. Viewers can easily find themselves caught in a web of continual microtransactions. Therefore, regulatory bodies must work diligently to regulate the short drama market, combat consumer traps, and promptly remove inappropriate content.
**Dramatic Storylines: Tragedy Followed by Triumph**
Emotional Resonance Keeps Audiences Hooked
“Meet the Chairman!” a group of employees bows to a middle-aged man dressed in a maintenance uniform (who is actually the company chairman). To rescue his second wife from embarrassment, he reveals his true identity, shocking a conniving woman into submission as she realizes she’s been bullying the chairman’s wife…
This is a scene from one of the “elderly billionaire” short dramas that Lin Han’s grandmother has been watching. The story revolves around the whirlwind romance of a 50-year-old CEO and a 45-year-old woman who marry impulsively. Lin Han finds the plot “mindless” and chose to switch off within minutes, while her grandmother avidly watched every episode.
Yang Hua, a recently retired university professor from a major city, has also become captivated by this series. With a similar personal history of not wearing a wedding dress in youth, she feels that the narrative fulfills a desire she never realized.
“Storylines that resonate with the lives of middle-aged and older viewers are compelling,” explained Liu Zhuang, a Beijing-based short video director. He analyzed how hidden identities serve as a key plot device, revealing the main character’s true identity only near the end of the series, allowing for dramatic ups and downs that don’t necessarily require logical coherence.
Historically, television and film portrayals of older adults have tended to be realistic, often depicting typical characters in specific settings. Now, the short drama industry is beginning to focus directly on seniors, delivering unique emotional satisfaction.
Lin Han also observed that, unlike prior themes centered on youth and romance, current short dramas offer more “age-appropriate” content. Although each episode is only about three minutes long, the series are often lengthy, spanning upwards of 80 episodes, with multiple plot twists. While these tales might tend to follow well-worn storylines—such as conflicts between mothers and daughters-in-law or tales of long-lost family reunions—they resonate well with older viewers who can watch for hours, beginning as soon as they wake up or even while lying in bed.
She once witnessed her grandmother engrossed in a drama about a 45-year-old cleaning lady who falls for a 27-year-old billionaire. This plot unfolds dramatically as the billionaire’s father had once pursued the cleaning lady, complicating their romantic relationship.
“Her unfamiliarity with social media tools means she might accidentally click on a short drama and, from that point forward, receive a barrage of similar content,” Lin Han noted. “It’s as if the apps have targeted her, and she willingly succumbs to these recycled plots.”
Fang Can described his father’s addiction as, “Bored after retirement, he switched between platforms to watch videos.” Initially, his father used only one short drama platform, but after a few episodes, he began receiving prompts to download links for various other platforms, resulting in a plethora of apps populating his phone.
“My dad already has poor eyesight, and the small subtitles on his phone aren’t helping. It’s a cycle—watching hours of content only worsens his vision,” Fang Can explained.
**Short Drama Apps: A Land of Traps for Elderly Users**
Users Easily Fall Prey to Payment Scams
The exposure boost from short dramas relies heavily on targeted marketing, with dramatic hooks enticing users into spending.
“This is why so many dramas feature ‘face-slapping’ moments—these scenes build up tension and manipulate audience emotions, creating a stark contrast as the plot unfolds,” Liu Zhuang pointed out. For example, in a wedding dress scene, characters get criticized for being “unworthy” only for a superior employee to step in and deliver a comeback, driving viewer engagement on social media.
Young viewers may easily be lured in, but seniors are even more susceptible.
Lin Han noticed that her grandmother, drawn in by engaging snippets, ended up watching numerous paid episodes, with costs escalating from $1 or $3 to $19.99 or $39.99 without her fully realizing it. “By the time I caught on, her spending had exceeded $2,000—luckily, I discovered it early on,” she said.
Fang Can, however, was not as fortunate.
“Dad’s obsession with short dramas broke the bank,” he recalled. At first, he assumed his father had spent a few dozen dollars, but upon discovering his father’s account empty, Fang Can checked his records. What he found was shocking: countless short drama payment entries, nearly all $39.99 each. A deep dive revealed his father had charged nearly $6,000 over the past year and a half.
Upon seeing the bill, Fang Can’s father couldn’t believe his day-to-day spending had accumulated to such heights. “He explained that he started unlocking episodes one at a time, and then the platform began promoting bulk unlock options for better deals, so he fell for it,” Fang Can added. As his dad browsed different programs, he repeatedly opted for similarly promoted services, convinced he hadn’t spent much each time.
This has led to a troubling trend among some vendors: precise targeting of older consumers with deceptive pricing. Fang Can noticed that certain short dramas attract users with low initial prices but then automatically opt-in for subscription renewals during payment, leading to ongoing charges at full price.
When he searched for short dramas on a certain platform, numerous options from various apps were immediately displayed. After clicking on several, it became clear that users must switch to the respective app to watch full series, encountering prompts to “pay to unlock” soon thereafter. One application offered initial features like a one-dollar unlock, evolving into increasingly expensive options with no flexibility in pricing for seniors.
“An elderly woman wouldn’t comprehend these intricacies. She might be drawn in by the peak of the storyline but then unwittingly follow a series of prompts leading to unexpected charges,” Lin Han expressed.
Upon realizing her grandmother had spent significant amounts on short dramas, Lin Han attempted to decipher the complicated charging systems but found the rules differed among platforms, making it nearly impossible.
“Different pricing strategies exist, and understanding how to acquire full series versus episodes made it difficult for my grandmother to grasp,” she said.
Fang Can faced similar hurdles in reviewing his father’s charges. “Many dramas might have been purchased in full accidentally, with many remaining unwatched,” he remarked. He discovered his father had inadvertently bought a lifetime membership for a viewing platform, only to find that it had since been discontinued. He never understood the concept of subscriptions and simply paid for what he assumed to be reasonable viewing, leading to escalating costs.
Mr. Huang from Guangdong, who previously worked in the short drama marketing sector, confirmed that these apps often categorize users based on their spending history. A previously high-spending user receives more expensive recommendations, reinforcing the cycle of inflation in their fees.
**Setting Reasonable Limits on Spending: Protecting Senior Rights**
“The episodes bought have already been watched,” is a typical response Fang Can receives when requesting refunds from customer service.
“They’re technically correct, especially from the larger platforms,” he noted, as his father has subscribed to numerous short drama services, and tracking every small payment is impossible.
Interestingly, all these platforms inform users that “individuals under 18 must operate under adult supervision,” yet there are no protections or regulations established for senior users.
“This is why customer service won’t issue refunds. My father is an adult, and every payment was made voluntarily,” Fang Can explained.
To prevent further addiction and excessive spending, he had to delete over a hundred apps from his father’s phone, but the pace at which new ones appeared exceeded his efforts. “These apps are pervasive, popping up on ads across networks and platforms continually recommending content tailored to his interests.”
Lin Han faced a similar struggle. “When my grandmother’s account runs out of funds, she still finds a way to browse the content she craves,” she said. Moreover, friends her grandmother’s age frequently share snippets of different short dramas in chat groups, which inevitably leads to unintentional clicks on those applications.
In desperation, both Lin Han and Fang Can have resorted to setting their relatives’ phones to “youth mode” to limit their spending capabilities.
“Though the youth mode can restrict certain applications, my father is still an adult with functions he needs to access,” Fang Can lamented. He hopes the platforms will adopt more effective measures to curtail adsorption to short dramas while protecting seniors from impulsive spending.
Many industry professionals and community members recognize the merit of short dramas for older audiences and argue that it’s essential to not dismiss the entire industry for the shortcomings of a few low-quality shows or poor pricing structures. Moderation in spending, when done wisely, can enhance one’s enjoyment.
Zheng Ning, a professor at the Communication University of China, suggests that short drama platforms should standardize their charging practices, enhance transparency, and implement a clear auto-renewal system to safeguard consumer rights.
She recommends the creation of senior-friendly payment mechanisms to help vulnerable digital consumers avoid impulsive purchases. One solution could include more frequent notifications, larger or distinct labeling, and setting payment caps to establish a framework for protecting seniors from excessive spending. She also stressed the importance of family involvement in the lives of the elderly.
