In an effort to curb the creation of celebrity child stars, China is banning the children of celebrities from appearing on popular reality shows.

The ban, by the government's media regulator, also covers appearances by stars' children on chat shows, and reports about them on entertainment programs.

Reality TV shows with attractive stars and their well-dressed, precocious children have become very popular in China in the last few years.

Yet the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television ordered last year that producers of reality shows cut down on appearances by minors, and has now gone further by banning them altogether.

This means that stations may cancel hugely popular shows like the hit 'Dad, Where Are We Going?', which has 600 million viewers and sees celebrity fathers take their children on camping missions.

Regulators say their task is to rein in programs that are overly materialistic or encourage celebrity culture which might compete with role models promoted by the country's ruling Communist Party.