New social media app praised for being ‘family friendly”

A new social media app has received kudos from users and industry professionals for its “family-friendly” goals.

Gan Jing World, developed by Chinese nationals who have fled Communist China, launched in June 2022. “Gan Jing” comes from Chinese, meaning “clean” in English. Founded by Silicon Valley executives and Chinese dissidents who fled communist China, the company seeks to provide a new form of “clean” social media, which it believes to be essential in helping communities thrive.

“Gan Jing World’s mission is to empower people to reconnect to traditional values and morality. The family is the building block of society,” Nick Janicki, the company’s media relations director, told The Epoch Times in a previous interview. “We want to celebrate traditional family values like respecting your parents, spending time together, and being kind and compassionate to each other.”

The multi-language platform is headquartered in Middletown, New York, and is committed to providing content “free from violent, erotic, criminal or harmful material,” according to the startup’s website.

Mr. Janicki told The Epoch Times in a recent interview that non-addictive algorithms are a distinctive and important feature of Gan Jing World. The platform prioritizes valuable information and inspirational content, freeing users from endless video feeds.

Dark Side of Social Media

Chase Nasca, a teen who took his own life after receiving more than 1,000 unsolicited videos of violence and suicide, was a sad example of the dark side of social media, Mr. Janicki said.

In March, his parents filed a lawsuit against TikTok in Suffolk County Supreme Court in New York, claiming their 16-year-old son was “targeted, overwhelmed and actively goaded” into taking his own life.

“The TikTok defendants know that violent, dangerous, extreme and psychologically disturbing content triggers a greater dopamine response in minors than safe and benign content,” the 91-page complaint said.

“To maximize user engagement and increase profits, TikTok creates and co-creates such content and deliberately targets children in the United States with violent, dangerous, extreme and psychologically disturbing content from which they can’t look away.”

A Platform That Respects Privacy

Mr. Janicki assured that nothing like the TikTok incident would happen in Gan Jing World, as the platform rejects violent, pornographic, criminal, negative, and harmful content. It employs a non-addictive algorithm, and its artificial intelligence-generated recommendations allow users to take full control of their digital experience.

Moreover, Gan Jing World also attaches great importance to privacy protection, and users can visit its website and download apps without registration. Liking or sharing a video doesn’t require registration, either. Commenting on a video, however, will require an account for maintaining community guidelines. But Gan Jing is exploring other technical solutions to lift the requirement, Janicki said in a previous interview, adding that the startup only collects data to meet legal requirements and essential functionality needs, such as an email address to confirm registration.

The platform will not collect their information or track their behavior, nor will it ever sell their data, according to Mr. Janicki.

A Huge Success on Gan Jing World

Jing Di Academy, also known as Pure Land Academy, has had an account with Gan Jing World for nearly a year. The school’s deputy head of production, Lucy Zeng, told The Epoch Times earlier this month that Gan Jing World is a great platform for its online classes, and that the school’s channel has received a lot of support and positive feedback since its debut.

“Through our channel on Gan Jing World, we hope to promote traditional culture, and many of the contents are suitable for children and teenagers to watch. We aim to showcase purity, goodness, and beauty when crafting our videos, encapsulating traditional historical narratives, characters, and events with exquisite visuals.

“Each story is meticulously created with utmost dedication, driven by our unwavering commitment to achieving nothing less than perfection and a sense of unadulterated authenticity. Gan Jing World is a clean and healthy social media platform that is very suitable for placing the academy’s works,” Ms. Zeng said.

She told the publication that the school had tried other social media platforms but received very little feedback or subscriptions.

“This may have something to do with the fact that Gan Jing World is dedicated to providing healthy and positive content, which attracts viewers who are more appreciative of traditional culture,” she said.

‘A Better Platform’: Influencer

Zhou Ziding, a host who has been broadcasting his military channel on Gan Jing World for nearly a year, said this is a rare platform that many people have hoped for because it is free of violence, pornography, and other objectionable content.

In an interview with The Epoch Times on Aug. 12, Mr. Zhou said, “I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to produce content on this platform.”

Furthermore, Mr. Zhou mentioned that he enjoys much freedom when producing programs on Gan Jing World.

“In recent years, even on some U.S. social media platforms, some topics are considered taboos, and these platforms restrict revenue for those who touch upon the censored content. This is not the case in Gan Jing World. It has indeed provided a better platform for many video content creators,” he said.

– Terri Wu, Lily Yu, and Sophia Lam contributed to this report. Used with permission.