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Constructing “AI for Minors": Corporate Framing and Public Discourse in China and the United States

Wang, Shurong LU and Ma, Ruihe LU (2026) SKOM12 20261
Department of Strategic Communication
Abstract
This study examines how AI for minors is framed by AI companies and constructed in public discourse in China and the United States. Using Rhetorical Arena Theory and framing theory, the study analyses corporate communication from four AI platforms (ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, and Doubao) together with public discourse materials, including mainstream media, NGO reports, and online commentary. Reflexive thematic analysis identified five themes in corporate framing and six in public discourse.
The findings show that companies frame AI for minors as a conditional form of access, beneficial but only under specific conditions of parental involvement, safeguards, and responsible use. U.S. companies emphasise developmental empowerment, while Doubao... (More)
This study examines how AI for minors is framed by AI companies and constructed in public discourse in China and the United States. Using Rhetorical Arena Theory and framing theory, the study analyses corporate communication from four AI platforms (ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, and Doubao) together with public discourse materials, including mainstream media, NGO reports, and online commentary. Reflexive thematic analysis identified five themes in corporate framing and six in public discourse.
The findings show that companies frame AI for minors as a conditional form of access, beneficial but only under specific conditions of parental involvement, safeguards, and responsible use. U.S. companies emphasise developmental empowerment, while Doubao frames protection through functional restriction and regulatory compliance. Public discourse in both contexts challenges corporate framings, but with different intensity: U.S. criticism is systemic and structural, while Chinese criticism focuses on specific functional issues, with public discourse independently constructing AI as a parenting support tool. Tensions between corporate framing and public discourse are present across all dimensions in the U.S., while the Chinese context displays stronger functional coexistence. These patterns are shaped by the regulatory environments, media systems, and communicative dynamics of each rhetorical arena rather than by the technology itself. (Less)
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author
Wang, Shurong LU and Ma, Ruihe LU
supervisor
organization
course
SKOM12 20261
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
AI for minors, strategic communication, corporate framing, public discourse, rhetorical Arena Theory, framing Theory, China, United States
language
English
id
9242750
date added to LUP
2026-06-25 11:28:00
date last changed
2026-06-25 11:28:00
@misc{9242750,
  abstract     = {{This study examines how AI for minors is framed by AI companies and constructed in public discourse in China and the United States. Using Rhetorical Arena Theory and framing theory, the study analyses corporate communication from four AI platforms (ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, and Doubao) together with public discourse materials, including mainstream media, NGO reports, and online commentary. Reflexive thematic analysis identified five themes in corporate framing and six in public discourse.
The findings show that companies frame AI for minors as a conditional form of access, beneficial but only under specific conditions of parental involvement, safeguards, and responsible use. U.S. companies emphasise developmental empowerment, while Doubao frames protection through functional restriction and regulatory compliance. Public discourse in both contexts challenges corporate framings, but with different intensity: U.S. criticism is systemic and structural, while Chinese criticism focuses on specific functional issues, with public discourse independently constructing AI as a parenting support tool. Tensions between corporate framing and public discourse are present across all dimensions in the U.S., while the Chinese context displays stronger functional coexistence. These patterns are shaped by the regulatory environments, media systems, and communicative dynamics of each rhetorical arena rather than by the technology itself.}},
  author       = {{Wang, Shurong and Ma, Ruihe}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Constructing “AI for Minors": Corporate Framing and Public Discourse in China and the United States}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}