In China，there are usually two reasons why people receive messages from friends and relatives from whom they haven't heard for a while．The first is about New Year greetings，which are always welcome．The second reason is often less pleasant，however；people are increasingly contacting long lost friends，or even casual acquaintances，and urging them to cast online votes for their children or grandchildren in competitions．

The practice，which has been growing rapidly，has now reached the point where people are becoming tired and may even feel annoyed．

The results of a recent survey conducted by the Jinhua Evening News in East China's Zhejiang Province show that 94percent of 384interviewees were once asked by friends or relatives to cast votes online for their children．The contests range from the"cutest baby"to dancing competitions，but in many is the people receiving the messages haven't heard from the sender for a long time and have never met the child involved．

Although the competitions may appear to be harmless fun，some education professionals are concerned that they could have a negative effect on children．

Tang Sulan，a member of the CPPCC's National Committee （全国政协），proposed a ban on online competitions featuring children to prevent future psychological issues．She was also concerned that public disclosure of a child's personal information and publication of photos cause a potential risk to the child's safety．

Li Hongyan，the mother of an l1-year-old girl and an 18-month-old boy in Beijing，said she has never urged others to vote for her children．Although on the surface the children are competing among themselves via their parents'social networks，the competitions are also about parents seeking a"sense of victory"for themselves，she Sid．"It feels as though parents are using their babies as tools to win glory for themselves，rather than truly respecting their kids'dignity and nature．"However，despite