Social media sales bring health risks

Dangerous food, drugs peddled in unregulated market, experts say

Because of a legal and regulatory vacuum, social media in China have become a hotbed for the sale of fake and substandard food and drugs that pose a risk to people's health, experts said.

Businesses enabled by social media, such as WeChat, Sina Weibo and livestreaming platforms - known as social commerce - have prospered in recent years in China, with an estimated market value of 360 billion yuan ($52.7 billion) last year, according to the Internet Society of China.