People take picture of a digital billboard in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province, that shows a birthday picture of Song Yaxuan, a member of TNT, a Chinese boy band, on March 4. Photo:IC

A recent official report on minors' internet use in 2020 in China showed that nearly 15 percent of fans born after 2000 spent more than 5,000 yuan ($770) on their favorite "idols." 

This comes as "crazy fan culture" has become an increasingly concerning part of modern Chinese society. 

The report was released by the Communist Youth League Central Committee and the China Internet Network Information Center. 

It also showed that the proportion of underage internet users participating in activities of "fans' support" reached 8 percent. Such activities include buying products the celebrities endorse or raising money to fund digital billboards at popular public places to promote their favorite ones. 

Ji Weimin, a professor at the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the "crazy fan culture" in China featured a fan circle that is highly organized, efficient and systematic, and demands extreme loyalty from fans in a uniform manner.

He said that the high cost of participation in 'fans' support' is not only far beyond minors' ability to bear, but the concept of "keeping up with the Joneses" will mislead young people's concept of consumption, values, and affect their moral judgment.