“The elderly person at home loves watching short dramas — money gets deducted bit by bit, and by the time anyone noticed, it had added up to a large sum.” According to reports by IT Times and other media, as told by the family members of the person involved, a senior in his late sixties made 4,887 short-drama top-up transactions over more than two years, totaling about 225,800 yuan, of which 1,857 transactions occurred late at night between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. the next day. In Hebei, another senior born in the 1950s topped up more than 50,000 yuan over a year and a half — these figures come from the family members’ account and the billing statistics; they are not official statistics. Today we won’t talk about the industry or blame anyone; we’ll just clarify two things: how the money for short-drama top-ups gets deducted bit by bit, and what we can do to help the seniors at home. Keywords in this article: short-drama top-ups, auto-renewal, password-free payment.

1. How the Money Gets Drained Away Bit by Bit

Why do short dramas make you “spend more the more you watch”? According to investigations by multiple media outlets and platforms’ publicly disclosed rules, the payment process usually works in these steps:

  • Watch the first episodes free, then hit a “cliffhanger paywall” at the key moment;
  • Payment comes in two forms: unlocking a single episode or subscribing as a member; some pages have “auto-unlock next episode” or “auto-renewal” checked by default;
  • The concepts of “single episode,” “whole drama,” and “whole site” are easy to mix up — users think they’re buying everything, but actually only part is unlocked.

Some platforms’ operational rules state this very clearly: no default pre-checking of options, and no auto-renewal or auto-unlock of paid episodes without the user’s consent.

Add “password-free payment” on top of that, and small, frequent, late-night deductions become even easier to overlook — each transaction looks small, but hundreds or thousands of them add up to that 220,000 yuan from the beginning. Frequent top-ups between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. are often a warning signal.

Let me add some background here. According to the 55th CNNIC (China Internet Network Information Center) report, as of December 2024, the number of micro-drama users reached 662 million, with a usage rate of 59.7%; iResearch data shows that among micro-drama users in 2024, those aged 40-59 accounted for 37.3% and those over 60 accounted for 12.1%. Middle-aged and older people have long been an important audience for short dramas, so “managing the payment channels in the phone” is something many families can use.

2. A Few Things You Can Do Right Now to Help Your Seniors

  1. Turn off auto-renewal. WeChat: Me → Services → Wallet → Payment Settings → Auto-Renewal (or Password-Free Payment) → turn off the deduction service; Alipay: My → Settings → Payment Settings → Password-Free Payment/Auto-Debit; Apple: Settings → Apple Account → Subscriptions → Cancel Subscription; Android (using Huawei as an example): Settings → Huawei Account → Payments & Bills → Auto-Renewal → Unsubscribe;
  2. Put a gate on password-free payment. Try not to enable small-amount password-free payment; if it’s already on, lower the per-transaction limit or turn it off completely;
  3. Reconcile the accounts once a month. Go through the small deductions in the payment bills, especially those in the late-night hours;
  4. Leave unknown “watching-drama bonus groups.” Some groups steer members toward clicking links to top up; leave any group of unclear origin;
  5. For refunds, follow this path. First complain within the channel (app store, payment channel), keeping records such as top-up history, deduction screenshots, and chat logs; if negotiation fails, file a complaint or report with the national 12315 platform (www.12315.cn, which also has a mini program and the 12315 hotline); if necessary, pursue legal channels. One reminder: 12315 is not an agency that can force refunds; it mostly mediates between parties, and the outcome depends on the actual handling — don’t believe anyone who promises “you’ll definitely get a full refund.”

3. A Few Common Pitfalls to Avoid

  • Advance notice of auto-renewal is explicitly required by regulation. Article 10, paragraph 2 of the Regulations on the Implementation of the Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests (State Council Order No. 778, effective July 1, 2024) requires that when services are provided through auto-renewal or similar means, consumers must be alerted in a conspicuous manner before accepting the service and before each auto-renewal date. Article 18 of the Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Online Transactions further requires a conspicuous reminder five days in advance, free consumer choice, a way to cancel at any time, and no unreasonable fees. The MIIT document Xin Guan Han [2023] No. 26 (工信部信管函〔2023〕26号) also makes clear: auto-renewal must not be pre-checked by default or forcibly bundled.
  • A new rule hasn’t taken effect yet — don’t treat it as an existing basis. Article 20 of the Rules on Price Behavior of Internet Platforms sets more detailed requirements for password-free payment, auto-renewal, and reminders for each deduction, but the rules take effect on April 10, 2026 and are not yet in force; just know this direction exists for now.
  • Don’t take your anger out on the seniors. Memory, eyesight, and familiarity with phone tricks are naturally different between generations — this isn’t “gullibility,” let alone “senility.” Family members just need to lend a hand more.
  • And don’t dismiss an entire industry in one sentence. This article only discusses this one case and the relevant regulations; conclusions about specific problems should be based on the individual case and the law, and it makes no blanket judgment that “all short dramas are tricks.”

In Closing

Short dramas themselves are not the problem; the problem is whether anyone helps “keep a good watch” on the seniors’ phones. There is one small thing you can do today: pick up Mom’s or Dad’s phone, go through the auto-renewal and password-free payment settings, check the bills for small late-night deductions, and have a chat with them. Do any elderly people in your family love short dramas? Have you ever found unexpected deductions in your bills? Share in the comments and give more people a heads-up.

Note: The amount and details of the individual case come from the family members’ account and media reports; the short-drama platform and payment recipient involved are kept anonymous and are not listed here.