Is it illegal to send insulting text messages?

Sending insulting text messages if the circumstances are serious shall constitute a crime, and the person guilty of the crime of insult shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than five years or criminal detention. If this crime is committed in public in a public gathering or in a public place, or if there are other serious circumstances, the person shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than five years.

Legal Basis

Article 237 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China

Forcing others to molest others by violence, coercion or other means Anyone who insults women shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than five years or criminal detention.

Whoever gathers a crowd or commits the crime in the preceding paragraph in public in a public place, or who has other serious circumstances, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than five years.

Whoever molests a child shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than five years; whoever commits any of the following circumstances shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than five years:

(1) Who molests children multiple times or multiple times ;

(2) Gathering a crowd to molest children, or molesting children in public in public places, the circumstances are egregious;

(3) Causing harm to children or other serious consequences;

(4) The obscene means are bad or there are other bad circumstances.